5_0_4_1_5_8_7 wrote
He's never installed the very software he espouse's to uphold.
.... and this issue is re-posted regularly.
edmund_the_destroyer wrote
He uses a free operating system on his computer, though. So even if someone else installed that for him, it's fine.
I am critical of some of the things he's said and done, but this particular thing doesn't bother me.
throwaway wrote
That's taken out of context. Stallman isn't as online as everyone thinks, quite the opposite. For a long time he hasn't owned a computer at all. He's got the ethics down, but the technical part isn't his strong suit - and that, in my opinion, is completely fine.
ziq wrote
If he had the ethics down he wouldn't praise free market capitalism and scoff at anarchy.
throwaway wrote
I was talking about his ethics in relation to software, sorry if that wasn't clear.
lookin4 wrote
scoff at anarchy
Do you have any source for this?
ziq wrote (edited )
Me. I emailed him and asked him directly.
That article advocates going back to nature, and assumes anarchism would be great because it was great before. I see no reason to share that faith.
See stallman.org/articles/why-we-need-a-state.html.
However, I distrust the Venus project's claim that advanced technology and AI will eliminate the problem of how to organize society. Advanced technology can be good; AI might be good depending on details. But that problem remains.
I don't have time to discuss it further.
Dr Richard Stallman President, Free Software Foundation
martasultan wrote
I somewhat appreciate his responses; he's one of the few liberals you can actually hold a discussion with, based on my experiences w/ him.
throwaway wrote
We need a state people for:
providing food, clothing and shelter to the poor
providing medical care and education to all
building roads, train lines, water pipes and sewers
funding research, including testing of pharmaceuticals
protecting public health
defending the nation
prosecuting perpetrators of crimes whether committed on a street or in a bank office
regulating businesses so they don't harm our health or our environment
ensuring workers can form unions; preventing exploitative working conditions
making sure employers don't steal employees' wages
inspecting foods for safety
Making sure products contain what they claim to contain and the stated amount, too
banning digital products that do DRM or censorship
reducing CO2 emissions to save us from global heating disaster
ensure that chemical products are not toxic
and protecting human rights for all
AgitatedStatesOfAmazement wrote
He not only uses that software but also wrote a considerable portion of it. Criticizing him for not having installed it personally is like calling an anarchist who's also a food not bombs organizer a hypocrite because they own a cell phone.
ziq wrote
Is that real? Yikes. No praxis there.
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