[Nottingham] rms

[Jason Irwin]

On 25/08/11 11:05, Barry Drake wrote:
> I knew he held
> extreme views which I respect and understand, but I think he is damaging
> the overall cause through his absolutism.

I would not say he is extreme, simply philosophically consistent.  What
rankles people about this is that it forces them to realise that they
are philosophically inconsistent and often hypocritical.  It's not just
RMS that causes this reaction, I've met quite a few people who force you
to examine your own world-view.  It's rarely a pleasant experience but
certainly worth-while.

And, of course, being consistent is not the same as being correct.
There's a few things he said that I am not sure I agree with (e.g. SaaS
- one can't do everything, one needs to engage people/services to do the
things one cannot; also I am not sure how he squares his views on art
with those on software - software could be considered art as it is an
expression of thought) but I have not had time to think everything
through yet.

-- 
Jason Irwin