[Fsfe-ie] Re: ethical interpretations of FS

[Fergal Daly]

On Mon, Jan 26, 2004 at 11:50:33AM +0000, Ian Clarke wrote:
> Ciaran O'Riordan wrote:
> >>I believe the philosophy of free software is that you should have
> >>access to the source code to the software that *you* run on *your*
> >>computer
> >
> >By this claim, if in twenty years time all computing is done via Free
> >Software thin clients accessing unknown or proprietary software on other
> >computers, the Free Software movement will have succeeded.
> 
> Flawed logic I'm afraid.  Consider this equivalent statement:
> 
> "If the goal of Christian Aid is to ensure that there is no poverty or 
> hunger in the world, and if in 20 years Earth was hit by a comet leaving 
> everyone on the planet dead, then Christian Aid will have succeeded."

If Ciaran changes his statement to 

"I believe the philosophy of free software is that you should have access to
the source code to the software that *you* run on *your* computer and that
you should be able to do all your necessary computing tasks on your own
computer."

Then I think you cannot come up with a Christian Aid equivalent,

F

"All men are mortal. Socrates was mortal. Therefore, all men are Socrates."

- Woody Allen