Re: [tlug] OT: Linux is Libertarian! (was "about iphone")

[Raedwolf Summoner <raroofu@example.com>]

Josh Glover wrote:
> 2009/6/11 Christian Horn <chorn@example.com>:
> > On the other hand, taking into account how often OpenSource and
> > linux are compared to communism... ;)
>
> No no no, you've got it all wrong!
>
> GNU == communism
> Open Source == crony capitalism
> Linux == meritocratism
>
> See? ;)

Uh, no, Josh, I'm still scratching my head on that one. Maybe it's because I'm a linguist and not a programmer, but I don't get the connection to crony capitalism. OTOH, I can't imagine how anyone could compare the pathological central control of communism to either Linux or open source. It would take a determined effort to misunderstand (a) the philosophy of communism, (b) the philosophy of Linux and open source, and probably (a) + (b). And how could you leave out libertarianism? How could you!

Free as in beer (the controller giveth, the controller taketh away) = communism
Free as in speech = libertarianism

--Ralph Sumner

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