[NCLUG] Trolling was: "red hat - the new redmond?" comment from mainstream online media

[Mark Fassler]

I keep reading these posts from Dr. Hamid and thinking, "da hell???"


On Sat, Sep 07, 2002 at 09:34:38AM -0600, Idris S Hamid wrote:
> The best example is 
> their abuse of KDE, which they first tried to kill, and are now butchering in 
> a way which, while quite legal, is very clearly not in the spirit of the 
> community. 

Call me naive (well, no.. don't call me that...) but I think that RedHat 
was making very reasonable desicions.  They were flirting with being 
"GPL-purists" by not including QT.  There are *lots* of window managers 
that RedHat doesn't include.  They don't *have* to include any particular 
piece of software.  (It's a concept that, in this country, we call 
freedom.)  When QT was GPL'd they included it.  

They made changes to KDE?  Wouldn't know, wouldn't care.  I use RedHat KDE
and like it.  If they made changes to it, well, KDE is GPL which "is 
intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free software..."
(Note the word "change.")

> Hiding behind the GPL does not make their actions any less odious. 

"Odious"  Hmmm.. that's hyperbole.  If I don't like RedHat, I can just 
switch to Debian (or something else).  Correct me if I'm wrong, but all 
the software that runs under i386 RedHat will run under i386 Debian.  So I 
have freedom.  (I think this is how most people would want capitalism to 
work.  It is certainly how I would want capitalism to work.)


> This is a loophole in the GPL...

This is a deliberate design goal in the GPL.  The creators of software 
shouldn't be allowed to restrict other peoples' freedom.  If KDE doesn't 
like that, they can use a different license.  


> this case making KDE, if not unusable, then at least unappealing as a desktop 
> solution. 

RedHat/KDE is very usable.  I find it very appealing.  If you don't like 
RedHat/KDE, that's fine, you can use a different window manager.  Or a 
different distribution.  Or download and compile your own window manager.  
See, in this scenario, you have *freedom*.

Let me say that again:

  With Linux and the GPL, you have FREEDOM.  
  You.  Can.  Use.  A.  Different.  Distribution.  Or.  Window.  Manager.  
  You have the freedom to do so.

Clear?


> What amazes me is the number of Red Hat apologists who can't see a spade for a 
> spade, or the forest for the trees. 

I guess RedHat bashing is in these days.  (My, my, aren't you trendy...) 
We build people up only to tear them down.  

To my knowledge, RedHat has not entered into any exclusionary licenses 
with their customers.  They have done things that the GPL specifically and 
deliberately allows.  They are *exactly* within the spirit of the GPL.  

I, for one, think that the various changes that RedHat makes to some 
software is quite reasonable.  (I don't always agree with the end result, 
but I very, very usually agree with what they're trying to do.)  If you 
don't like RedHat software, you can (say it with me now) use a different 
product -- all of the software that ran under i386 RedHat will run under 
i386 $FavoriteDistro.


> Best wishes
> Idris

Feeding the Trolls,
Mark Fassler