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- Xref: sparky gnu.misc.discuss:4227 talk.philosophy.misc:3175 alt.usage.english:10288 alt.society.anarchy:1033
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- Path: sparky!uunet!spool.mu.edu!uwm.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!gatech!concert!theo!speedy!cardinal.ncsc.org!fgray
- From: fgray@cardinal.ncsc.org (Frederick E Gray)
- Subject: Re: Fund raising at the FSF
- Message-ID: <1993Jan6.001218.26182@mcnc.org>
- Followup-To: gnu.misc.discuss
- Sender: fgray@cardinal.ncsc.org
- Nntp-Posting-Host: cardinal.ncsc.org
- Organization: North Carolina Supercomputing Center
- References: <1993Jan3.213759.18973@husc3.harvard.edu> <C0CCt3.CG5@cs.uiuc.edu> <1993Jan5.022956.19008@husc3.harvard.edu>
- Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 00:12:18 GMT
- Lines: 33
-
- In <1993Jan5.022956.19008@husc3.harvard.edu>, <zeleny@husc10.harvard.edu> (Michael Zeleny) writes:
-
- >>So, what you're basically saying is that since you are not free to
- >>make it non-free, it is not "free" (as has already been mentioned in
- >>this thread, all these "free"s are not referring to cost, but rather
- >>to freedom of use).
-
- >Nonsense. What I am saying is that I am not free to use GNU in any way
- >I see fit; more importantly, nor am I free of legal obligation implicit
- >in, and specific to its use. Consequently, it is not free. Is this so
- >hard to understand?
-
- It is ridiculous to claim that a "freedom" must entail no obligations. Every
- liberty that is possessed by the people of the pluralistic nations of the world
- is limited to some extent by a corresponding responsibility. For example, the
- First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states that "Congress shall make no
- law ... abridging the freedom of speech...." However, it is a well-known
- principle that it is illegal to shout "Fire!" in a public place that is not
- actually ablaze. Furthermore, the press in the United States and in many other
- societies is allegedly "free." However, it is limited by libel laws and
- intellectual property considerations.
-
- In other words, it is possible and indeed necessary for freedom to be
- restricted for the common good of the people. The English word "free" has come
- to embody this connotation. Therefore, the Free Software Foundation is using
- this word in _exactly the same way_ as it is customarily used. If that is not
- the usage which Michael Zeleny prefers, then he is not speaking the same
- language as the rest of us.
-
- -- Fred Gray
- -- fgray@cardinal.ncsc.org
- -- my personal opinions only
-
-