LXer: Behind the doors of the Free Software Foundation
 

Published at LXer:

The purpose of the Free Software Foundation (FSF) is probably obvious from its name -- but what does promoting free software mean in terms of everyday activity? Examining the roles of the organization shows how complex the FSF's advocacy role has become. It also reveals the range of services available to the free software community, and helps to explain how such a small group has had such a major influence on computer technology. As a 501(c)3 charity in the United States, the FSF is run by a board of directors. The current board includes FSF founder and president Richard M. Stallman and long-term member Henry Poole, but, in the last few years, new faces have appeared on the board.

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The purpose of the FSF is not obvious from its name. The extremist agenda of the FSF is to socialize and ultimately eliminate software as a form of business. (See: http://www.gnu.org/gnu/manifesto.html)

The FSF's activists freely acknowledge their plan will result in reduced pay and force some developers out of work. Those of you who are sysadmins or support people or tech writers, etc. don't think you aren't affected. The domino affect will include you. Stand together, or hang separately.

The FSF is not, and has never been about open source. (See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-s...the-point.html) The FSF is in favor of strong-arming you, the developer, into accepting their terms.

If you are a developer who's interested in truly free software instead of the viral licensing, socialist agenda, and social engineering masterminded and perpetuated by the FSF, there are truly free licenses such as the BSD and MIT licenses.

There is nothing wrong with proprietary software. It's a basic principle of civilized society that individuals are entitled to compensation for their own work. The FSF would like to take ownership of your work and run you out of business.