El Thu, Jun 08, 2006 at 10:46:26PM +0200, Alfred M. Szmidt deia:
However, I believe more pragmatism is called for in the basic GNU Business Network Definition principles.
Freedom and practicality don't go hand in hand.
They do. It's always more practical to be free than to be enslaved. The problem is you can't always have all you want, so sometimes you accept less freedom for exchange of something else. That depends on the options you have at each moment.
I haven't read anything outside this list, sorry. But my problem with the views that companies supporting some propietary software should be accepted in the GNUBN is that the the GNUBN loses all significance for me.
It's only very few fanatical companies that don't use or support some free program or other. Once you accept mixed companies, it's difficult to set any limits. And I as apotential employee can no longer rely on a GNUBN company s an employer that guarantees that what I'll learn there will be on free software, and as a customer I can't trust a company that makes a living out of supporting propietary software to work for me or recommend solutions, since they may impose propietary software on me.
I'd rather have a clear meaning for GNUBN and few companies included, at least initially that having many companies which I don't know anything about by just its GNUBN sticker, because mixed companies are allowed. If I still have to sort out myself which companies will ensure my freedom as customer or employee even between GNUBN, then I don't need GNUBN at all.
I't like ecological food (is that the English name?). It may be more or less minoritarian, and very restrictive if you require all the food chain to be free from chemicals, etc. But if you don't then the label is meaningless to consumers.