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>>>>> On Tue, 30 Jul 2013, Donnie Berkholz wrote: |
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> I don't see any conflict between requiring that our system packages |
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> be free software and providing the pragmatic experience that we also |
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> promise to our users in our philosophy: |
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> "Put another way, the Gentoo philosophy is to create better tools. |
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> When a tool is doing its job perfectly, you might not even be very |
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> aware of its presence, because it does not interfere and make its |
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> presence known, nor does it force you to interact with it when you |
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> don't want it to. The tool serves the user rather than the user |
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> serving the tool." |
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This is quoted grossly out of context. In the paragraph preceding it, |
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you can read the following: |
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"Our tools should be a joy to use, and should help the user to |
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appreciate the richness of the Linux and free software community, and |
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the flexibility of free software. This is only possible when the tool |
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is designed to reflect and transmit the will of the user, and leave |
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the possibilities open as to the final form of the raw materials (the |
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source code.) If the tool forces the user to do things a particular |
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way, then the tool is working against, rather than for, the user." |
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RMS has said it more pointedly: |
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"Every nonfree program has a lord, a master - and if you use the |
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program, he is your master." |
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Ulrich |
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