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Even the most zealous are rarely devoid of all nuance. Note he actually says "Nonfree games (like other nonfree programs) are unethical". That one believes an
by nknight 14y ago
Even the most zealous are rarely devoid of all nuance.
Note he actually says "Nonfree games (like other nonfree programs) are unethical". That one believes an act is unethical is different from believing it will have a net negative effect vs not performing the act, and there's often a lot of nuance to be had when something is ethically questionable.
Consider the periodically-raised question of taking control of a botnet in order to shut it down. Opinions on this range from "totally ethical" to "totally unethical", even as much of the "totally unethical" crowd would probably admit that shutting down the botnet is a net good vs not doing so.
Sometimes, "X is unethical" doesn't mean "no good will come of X", it means "we need a third option". RMS believes non-free software is unethical, almost surely believes the existence of software in general is a net good, and that Free Software is the "third option".
- jiggy2011 14y agoI don't think I've ever read an argument suggesting that shutting down a botnet (as long as that is all you do) would be unethical, more that it would technically be illegal. I'm sure I've heard Stallman say in the past that software cannot possibly be in any way good unless it is free.