Have always felt strongly about the subject but never wrote because it was too personal and my writing this, I felt, will not make any difference. But over past few days I have repeatedly thought about the topic and concluded that writing it down at least for sake of later reference would be a good idea.
It is about how RMS and his gang of GNUheads are suppressing freedom. I agree to the fact that GNU has done a significant amount of work in the Free/Libre/Open source software BUT I will *never* agree to calling Linux as GNU/Linux my primary objection is to the use of blackmail and threats to make users and developers fall in line. Ideology comes a poor second when you compare it with doing what is civil, humane and *right*
Freedom to me is being Free to make a choice may it be a choice to remain a slave to M$ but it should be my choice – this is what GNUheads are not allowing by insisting that either we fall in line OR be an outcast. In my experience, in India, the most rabid of the proponents of this line for forceful reasoning are guys who themselves did not develop anything but want the claim to fame, youngsters who are blinded by sheer presence, and clueless philosophasters who are just ga ga over ideology – any ideology. They don’t realize the evil or the extent of evil which is being preached in name of freedom. What is in fact being preached that you give up freedom!!!
$diety help them when they finally discover that how some animals are more equal than others… …
Thank God PHP has a license of its own.
This whole thing took a somewhat personal turn when friend achitnis was forced into not speaking at GNUnify event. You can read about it on his site.
I too feel that Atul should have made all the emails and names public BUT no! Atul is a relic from a bygone era for me. An era of my parents, they would have taken the same stand, paid the same price and saying to them “sometime you gotta fight” would invite rebuke… …