Re: Documentation Standards was Re: [ox-en] UserLinux
- From: Graham Seaman <graham seul.org>
- Date: Tue, 9 Dec 2003 12:17:34 -0500 (EST)
Hi august,
sorry for the top-quoting..
'information wants to be free' is a slogan coined by the guy who ran the
60s/70s Whole Earth catalogue, Stuart Brand.
See: http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/II/IWtbF.html
It was never used by rms or the FSF (the closest you can get from them
is 'information should be free' which is not the same to my ears at all).
Its major use nowadays is as a strawman used to criticise rms for
something he never said. In that way it's very like 'the ends justify the
means', a similarly contentless saying which was first used to
attack the Jesuits and then was efortlesly transferred to become a
criticism of Marxists. Neither of whom ever said it.
I don't see why anyone should waste their time either attacking or
defending it.
Graham
I don't think it is so clear. the "information wants to be free" slogan
is a good example of the absolute ambiguity of the GNU/FSF motive. What
the f&*k does that mean, information wanting to be free?
freedom wants to be free?
food wants to be free?
women want to be free? (this one could mean lots of things)
beer wants to be free?
I don't think the GNU/FSF motive in itself is wrong. I just think we need
to dispell some of our own myths and make an even stronger argument.
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