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From: Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
To: riel@conectiva.com.br
CC: mark@mark.mielke.cc, billh@gnuppy.monkey.org, paul@clubi.ie,
       Hell.Surfers@cwctv.net, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
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	(message from Rik van Riel on Fri, 3 Jan 2003 08:39:55 -0200 (BRST))
Subject: Re: Why is Nvidia given GPL'd code to use in closed source drivers?
Reply-to: rms@gnu.org
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Date: Fri, 03 Jan 2003 15:30:59 -0500
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If "have faith in freedom" means to assume it will take care of
itself, that is always bad advice.

History shows that people who don't defend their freedom tend to lose
it.  There are many opportunities to lose one's freedom.  Businesses
even create them, hoping you will take the bait--many people do.  The
price of liberty is eternal vigilance.

One way we can defend our freedom is by refusing to buy the hardware
that needs non-free drivers.  To make this pressure effective, we need
to do it consistently; a haphazard boycott by occasional individuals
won't be felt.

Our community is not organized to do this consistently.  Most of the
people in our community have never thought about whether using
non-free drivers is a good idea; they probably don't even realize
there is a difference.  It isn't their fault--they hardly have a
chance to find out, because few individuals or organizations in our
community try to inform them.

If anyone is interested in doing substantial work on a project to help
the users identify which hardware to use, please write to me.


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