[sclug] Richard Stallman in The Guardian

[Lars Haggqvist]

I agree. It is cool. But his voice on its own will not be heard by
politicians who have the power to make the changes.

        If this sounds like badgering, I apologise right now - *sorry*. It's
not that I don't appreciate peoples
        perspectives (everyone has a right to their opinions whatever they
might be) however, opinions are
        only credible if we live by them, and living by them leads to
choices, and choices lead to character.

There is a danger here that only the big and wealthy will be able to command
the future - and in our case the future of software technologies. As an
analogy, this could take us back to medieval times where common folk were
tenants on land owned by a Baron or somesuch person unconcerned with the
livelihood of those under his control, except to the extent that they could
pay their rent/tithes/taxes, and aren't royalties the same sort of thing?

I'm not saying that patents are completely bad. In a world driven by an
economic agenda patents ensure that financial investment is secured, however
patents should have a lifespan as in the pharmaceutical industry. Now I know
the pharmas create all sorts of other moral dilemmas, but no-one would think
of patenting the sodium-chloride or alcohol molecules. It's the big
molecules that get the rubber stamp. But only for a time like
acetylsalicylic acid (aka asprin).

People are tricky, have hidden agendas, perspectives and expectations that
we all too often don't take into account. And change takes time. But doing
nothing won't make things better. So what's the solution?

As Isaac Asimov said "If knowledge gives us problems, then it is not through
ignorance that we will solve them".

If you believe in something strongly enough, write to your MP. You'll be
surprised what you can achieve. Two weeks after writing to my MP the
government changed it's non-involvement stance on the European constitution.
Now, it wasn't my small lonely voice that moved the huge machine of
government, but maybe I tipped the balance a bit.

Enough people raising this issue *will* get noticed.

I'm writing my letter this week.

Good luck with yours.

Lars

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Matthew Browning" <mb at matthewb.org>
To: <sclug at sclug.org.uk>
Sent: Friday, June 06, 2003 2:08 PM
Subject: [sclug] Richard Stallman in The Guardian


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> I noticed that there was an article co-written by RMS in The Guardian
> yesterday; here it is online:
>
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,970294,00.html
>
> ...nothing new there to anyone familiar with his agenda but I think
> it's kind of cool that a national paper is taking notice of him.
>
> Matthew Browning.
>
> - -- 
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