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Richard Stallman: How I do my Computing

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Re: Richard Stallman: How I do my Computing

#121

Post by b1daly »

b1daly wrote: post #114
mixmastamyk wrote: post #105

Every time an rms article comes up trolls come out of the woodwork to rally about what a kook he is and all "the horrible things" he's done. "Why the nerve, living a life different than I would choose!? IT MUST BE STOPPED." Snooze. I've been reading this fear-mongering regularly since '97. Why is he so threatening? It's not like you have to share a studio apartment with the guy. Have any complainers contributed 1/10t…

He's a total conformist! It's just that the ideals he wishes everyone would conform to are solely his own.

Why the down vote? it's a simple observation. A negative opinion on a piece of writing doesn't make someone a troll. In addition, many people, such as myself, are not familiar with Richard Stallman's work. So the discussion is not repetitive in the way it is if you have been reading and thinking about it a long time.

Re: Richard Stallman: How I do my Computing

#122

Post by gbog »

borism wrote: post #116
gbog wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I respect anyone who establishes their own code and adheres firmly to it. You shouldn't. I'm sure there are many despicable people who did so on the wrong principles. You need to add that those principles are compatible with yours.

So if "their" principles are compatible with ones equally "wrong" principles, then both of them are somehow right?

No, one way or another you'll have to decide what is good and what is not, with the naughty "freedom" to make a mistake. That is the basis of ethics: it can't be proved.

Re: Richard Stallman: How I do my Computing

#123

Post by VMG »

borism wrote: post #116
gbog wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I respect anyone who establishes their own code and adheres firmly to it. You shouldn't. I'm sure there are many despicable people who did so on the wrong principles. You need to add that those principles are compatible with yours.

So if "their" principles are compatible with ones equally "wrong" principles, then both of them are somehow right?

To be waterproof then: You should admire moral people who stand for their convictions

Re: Richard Stallman: How I do my Computing

#124

Post by eliasmacpherson »

fleitz wrote: post #109
antihero wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know, GNU is fantastic, and one of my main issues with Linux is that it has so many binary blobs and non-free software that are required for it to run on most machines. And as far as what "most people need", "most people" would do fine with a copy of LibreOffice and Firefox running on Ubuntu or whatnot.

Yeah thats most of my issues with Linux mostly binary blobs and not the fact that my laptop won't wake up from sleep, I have to screw around everytime I plug in a projector. LibreOffice works great as long as I don't have to open any Word docs that use change tracking, or spreadsheets that involve calculations, or god forbid a powerpoint with anything but rudimentary graphics. It's a panacea I don't know why anyone w…

Stallman's GNU quest began in response to a binary blob printer driver that he had no option but to suffer under, because it was closed source.

The issues you describe are attributable to what's between the keyboard and the chair. Try getting a standard mac to work with the majority of projectors, without any adapters. The LibreOffice issues you are having are due to an arms race where Microsoft break compatibility with their previous formats each release. You have to learn to use the computer you have properly or you will embarrass yourself with it. This is true for all operating systems. Not everything is going to work exactly as you suspect, at least you're in a position to do something about it on your own linux machine. That's never going to be the case with the competition.

Give it another 100 years, whose software is still going to be around, Stallman's, Jobs' or Gates'? It's not as feature complete, but it has greater longevity.

Re: Richard Stallman: How I do my Computing

#125

Post by pygy_ »

b1daly wrote: post #121
b1daly wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He's a total conformist! It's just that the ideals he wishes everyone would conform to are solely his own.

Why the down vote? it's a simple observation. A negative opinion on a piece of writing doesn't make someone a troll. In addition, many people, such as myself, are not familiar with Richard Stallman's work. So the discussion is not repetitive in the way it is if you have been reading and thinking about it a long time.

Look up the definition of conformism. It's about conforming to social norms, not personal ethics.

Re: Richard Stallman: How I do my Computing

#126

Post by eliasmacpherson »

homosaur wrote: post #42

The one thing I get kind of annoyed with Stallman at is that he keeps mentioning this Leemote machine he has, which runs free software even in the BIOS. He might as well say that he runs Linux on a magical unicorn. I have tried and never been able to get my hands on one of these things. I'd really like to see Stallman jump off his insistence on free for one second and maybe suggest something realistic for users who c…

Try here instead: http://www.tekmote.nl/epages/61504599.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/...

Re: Richard Stallman: How I do my Computing

#127

Post by mixmastamyk »

b1daly wrote: post #121
b1daly wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He's a total conformist! It's just that the ideals he wishes everyone would conform to are solely his own.

Why the down vote? it's a simple observation. A negative opinion on a piece of writing doesn't make someone a troll. In addition, many people, such as myself, are not familiar with Richard Stallman's work. So the discussion is not repetitive in the way it is if you have been reading and thinking about it a long time.

I didn't downvote you but redefining words isn't an argument. Also newbies and non-serious comments are not treated kindly here as I've learned myself.

Re: Richard Stallman: How I do my Computing

#128

Post by aangjie »

praptak wrote: post #79
turkeysandwich wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The type of REPL he's referring to has very specific features. Read returns a parsed structure, eval evaluates a parsed structure and print writes a parsed structure. Python's REPL just deals with strings, I believe.

Yes, this is the case - Python's REPL (and eval) deals with strings and does not go through an explicit representation of the parsed code, mainly because there is no such representation in Python. There is an ast module that parses Python code but it is an add-on, not at the core of the implementation. That is what I meant by manifestation of deeper differences between Python and Lisp.

This makes me think. I know the ast module is an add-on and not at the core of the interpreter implementation. Has there been any attempts at building a interpreter that does the same(Read, eval,print, loop over data structures and not strings)?? It would be hard i guess, but interesting right?

Re: Richard Stallman: How I do my Computing

#129

Post by Mizza »

fleitz wrote: post #100
ktizo wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

oh noes! we are doomed! Run for the hills, we might get a better view. (yes, you are no doubt correct. I do still view him as an unusual type of rare bearded canary that has decided to take up residence in the coal mine through some form of altruistic bloody-mindedness) [edit] Plus, whatever you may think of him, he is bloody smart.

He may have a high IQ but I wouldn't call him smart. If he was that smart people would be using his system instead of Gates and Jobs system. Gates and Jobs are smart, he's a loud mouth with a PhD. Listening to RMS talk about Windows and iOS is like listening to Tenenbaum lecture Torvalds on how monolithic kernels are a thing of the past. His system fails to fundamentally solve problems people actually have. I'm sure…

    >His system fails to fundamentally solve problems people actually have.
RMS has spent most of his life trying to solve problems which I have, fundamentally. Problems which most all of us have.

There is of course something to be said for usability and the "regular joe," as you say, but Stallman's intentions have always been entirely moral. He really does believe he is acting in your best interest. (Which most people aren't. I'm certainly not.)

Why bother hating?

Re: Richard Stallman: How I do my Computing

#130

Post by knewter »

b1daly wrote: post #120
ktizo wrote: post #2

I view Richard Stallman's attitude to this as though he has set himself up as some kind of social/technological guinea-pig for the general public good. Yes, he is fanatical in several senses, especially nasal and botanical, by all accounts ( read Stallman does Dallas: http://stallman.org/articles/texas.html ). But the day that Stallman cannot get on the internet, without compromising his own set of restrictions, is t…

But this idea of having dominion over any computational object (or really any object) is a fantasy. Are you going generate your own electricity riding your generator bike (powered by veggies from your garden) as you code? That's where I think his ideals go off the rails, their totality beyond common sense. FOSS of various flavors is cool. Of course it's not really free though. It's created by people in the context of…

You could...use solar power.

Your idea of 'beyond common sense' seems pretty limited in scope. And the F in FOSS isn't about price, it's about liberty. This is the very first thing anyone involving themselves in a discussion on FOSS should be aware of, and I feel sure that you knew that.

What was the point of this comment?

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