Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2005 00:19:21 +0100
To: "Jeff V. Merkey" <jmerkey@wolfmountaingroup.com>
Cc: Jan-Benedict Glaw <jbglaw@lug-owl.de>, rms@gnu.org,
       Coywolf Qi Hunt <coywolf@gmail.com>, luke-jr@utopios.org,
       linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
Subject: Re: GNU/Linux in a binary world... a doomsday scenario
Message-ID: <20051211231921.GA15832@aitel.hist.no>
References: <2cd57c900512052358m5b631204i@mail.gmail.com> <200512061856.42493.luke-jr@utopios.org> <2cd57c900512061742s28f57b5eu@mail.gmail.com> <20051210051628.E9E08CF4156@tsurukikun.utopios.org> <439A7E8E.8010707@wolfmountaingroup.com> <20051210164320.GB15986@aitel.hist.no> <20051210190537.GI13985@lug-owl.de> <439B2215.6090408@wolfmountaingroup.com> <20051210191501.GJ13985@lug-owl.de> <439B3E36.7090302@wolfmountaingroup.com>
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From: Helge Hafting <helgehaf@aitel.hist.no>
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On Sat, Dec 10, 2005 at 01:44:38PM -0700, Jeff V. Merkey wrote:

[...]
> The entire culture has absolutely no concept of IP rights and I was 
> amazed at how open folks are there about piracy.  If someone did that in 
> the US, they'd
> be in jail.   I have lived in Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Crete, and 
> I spent about 2 years in the UK when I was a younger man, and I have a 
> really
> good handle on the culture over there.  Even the republic countries 
> which have democratic governments are very much socialist in terms of the
> lifestyle and the governments, and the way people live, so it's no 
> surprise the whole concept of free software and the GPL are so natural 
> to the
> culture of Europe in general.
> 
Free sw and GPL is not about disrespect for intellectual property. We
want the GPL to be respected - as well as *enforced* when need be.
Free sw people tend to respect IP laws *more* than others - simply because
it is easier for us.  We don't need to choose between piracy
or paying through the nose for an os or an office productivity suite,
whe have all of this and more for free - legally.  Some of us take
pride in not pirating anything.

> I have been very dismayed at how FOSS has been used as a vehicle to 
> promote anti-american attitudes into our own culture.  It's sad.  I have 
> lived in
> all these places and the only place where people have guaranteed rights 
> as individuals and true freedom is America.  

"The only place!"  Are you just trying to provoke?  Or can you tell me
what freedoms and rights I lack? I live in a democracy, I vote, I
have freedom of speech and press, I can leave if I'm not satisified anyway.
I also have the freedom of going wherever I want, any time of day, without risk.

If you wonder why some people have an anti-american attitude, try listening to
what they say.  It is usually about foreign policies, environmental problems,
or the actions of large America-based multinational corporations. 

> I was in Germany in the late
> 1970's and earlt 1980's when the Bater-Meinhoffs were killing Americans 

Criminals, which were eventually caught.  Seems to me America has enough
of their own criminals killing americans?  

> in the streets and the Grune-Gehfahr (Green Party) was having 
> demonstrations burning effigies of Uncle Sam in the Hauptewache District 

Excercising their freedom of speech?  It'd be sad if they couldn't.
If you love freedom of speech, then you have to put up with people
saying all sorts of things. Even things you don't like.

Helge Hafting

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