[Fsf-friends] Re: Forming FSUGs in the country
Richard Stallman
rms@gnu.org
Fri, 11 Apr 2003 19:45:12 -0400
similar to ILUG-Delhi, ILUG-Chennai has been running on a high
"enthusiasm-fever" and has been supporting users to run non-free
software like Oracle and Opera under "Linux" and has also been
supporting other non-free Unices like Solaris and such. The main
misconception being, most think anything UNIX is "cool" and anything
non-UNIX is non-cool (and, free Vs non-free does not sell much in
there).
This is what tends to happen with Linux User Groups, and there are
systematic reasons for the tendency.
There is no necessary logical connection between the group's choice of
values and the name it calls the system. It is certainly possible to
call the system "Linux" and believe as strongly in freedom as any of
us do. But the values usually associated with the name "Linux" don't
give priority to freedom, and people who hear, think, and talk about
"Linux" tend to pick up those values. Any group that uses the name
"Linux" will have to make strenuous efforts not to be carried away by
this tendency.
(Even if the group uses the name "GNU/Linux", it will still require an
effort to resist the tendency. But mentioning GNU will help.)
[*] Oh prophet, this was before your lotus feet touched Chennai soil
and made the "other MIT"[**] a holy-shrine (yes, really... i tell
students "look, thats the hall where rms spoke").
I hope that these words are meant as satire. To seriously think such
a thing (about anyone) is dangerous for your mental equilibrium, and
if it happens in sufficient quantity, threatening for mine as well.