7 ms·

You can't force people to not use Windows just because it is not aligned with your political views. What about OS X ? Do you really think OS X is more free (in

by octopus 13y ago

You can't force people to not use Windows just because it is not aligned with your political views. What about OS X ? Do you really think OS X is more free (in the FSF sense) than Windows ? A professional programmer is OS agnostic, he has his preferences obviously, but he can use whatever OS his clients are using.

itg 13y ago
He's not trying to force others, it's a request with his explanation. "While the GNU General Public License expressly prohibits me from denying you the freedom to port software protected by it to Windows, I feel that you do great damage to the world if you do. Let me explain."
- octopus 13y ago
  You mean he is not trying to force developers. What he suggests is that programmers should not port his code to Windows because this will keep the Windows users ... well happy Windows users.
  - loup-vaillant 13y ago
    Think of it from an environmentalist point of view: this is a call to boycott companies that harm the environment. You don't have a problem with calls for boycott, do you? There are other examples. The computer industry for instance is very polluting. On the other hand, computers are very useful, and very convenient. What to do? Limit your consumption of computers of course. This means, among other things, do not buy a new cell phone every 1-2 years. This also means, boycott companies who perform planned obsolescence, (this includes Apple). A sufficiently massive boycott could force those companies to rethink their position, to a point where even people who don't care about the environment won't buy so much useless upgrades.
    - joesmo 13y ago
      This hardly sounds like freedom to me.
      - loup-vaillant 13y ago
        Of course. This example is about protecting the environment, not freedom. I'm just saying the mechanisms are similar.
    - octopus 13y ago
      You don't have a problem with calls for boycott, do you? I don't know, I guess it depends, I reserve my right to judge on a case by case basis.
naner 13y ago
This is likely a very old page from when Mac's weren't as pervasive.
- stesch 13y ago
  He isn't a fan of Apple either.
- octopus 13y ago
  Don't get me wrong I love my Mac, I also use Windows 8.1 when I have to (mainly for work). All my servers are Linux only. I think none of the above OS is perfect. My job as a programmer is to be able to use any of them. What I can't stand is the idea that everybody must use what I think is free or better.
- J_Darnley 13y ago
  You're certainly right about that: http://web.archive.org/web/20010628082504/http://www.fefe.de/nowindows/ http://web.archive.org/web/20010628082504/http://www.fefe.de... That date being 2001-06-28.
  - octopus 13y ago
    +1. I suppose today his call to arms will cover OS X and iOS too. Not sure about Android though. Some people consider Android a free OS, some don't.
loup-vaillant 13y ago
Read the damn text: > While this text singles out Microsoft, other companies are equally evil. For example, porting the diet libc to Solaris would help Sun, noone else. --- > A professional programmer is OS agnostic While this sound all neutral and reasonable, this is silly on two counts: First, different OSes have different qualities. A professional programmer isn't agnostic, she uses the best tool for the job. Second, licences themselves are not equivalent either: they dictate what one is allowed to do with the software. A professional programmer isn't agnostic, she warns her customer about those issues. If the customer wants to use a proprietary OS anyway, then you have a moral dilemma: help a proprietary vendor, or don't help your customer. Maybe the best choice is to write the software anyway. But don't try and pretend it doesn't suck.
- octopus 13y ago
  There is no best tool for a job, this is just wishful thinking. The best tool is usually the tool you know and that allows you to finish a particular job in a given amount of time. By agnostic I meant he must not judge an OS based on subjective criteria like it sucks. Otherwise I suppose I'm just old and silly :).
  - loup-vaillant 13y ago
    > The best tool is usually the tool you know and that allows you to finish a particular job in a given amount of time. This is a fine criterion. Often a sufficient one, even. > By agnostic I meant he must not judge an OS based on subjective criteria like it sucks. Sure, but the author was advocating not using Windows nor Solaris because of their licences. I assumed your agnosticism meant licences don't matter much. But they do.

by octopus 13y ago

itg 13y ago

He's not trying to force others, it's a request with his explanation. "While the GNU General Public License expressly prohibits me from denying you the freedom to port software protected by it to Windows, I feel that you do great damage to the world if you do. Let me explain."

octopus 13y ago
You mean he is not trying to force developers. What he suggests is that programmers should not port his code to Windows because this will keep the Windows users ... well happy Windows users.
- loup-vaillant 13y ago
  Think of it from an environmentalist point of view: this is a call to boycott companies that harm the environment. You don't have a problem with calls for boycott, do you? There are other examples. The computer industry for instance is very polluting. On the other hand, computers are very useful, and very convenient. What to do? Limit your consumption of computers of course. This means, among other things, do not buy a new cell phone every 1-2 years. This also means, boycott companies who perform planned obsolescence, (this includes Apple). A sufficiently massive boycott could force those companies to rethink their position, to a point where even people who don't care about the environment won't buy so much useless upgrades.
  - joesmo 13y ago
    This hardly sounds like freedom to me.
    - loup-vaillant 13y ago
      Of course. This example is about protecting the environment, not freedom. I'm just saying the mechanisms are similar.
  - octopus 13y ago
    You don't have a problem with calls for boycott, do you? I don't know, I guess it depends, I reserve my right to judge on a case by case basis.

naner 13y ago

This is likely a very old page from when Mac's weren't as pervasive.

stesch 13y ago
He isn't a fan of Apple either.
octopus 13y ago
Don't get me wrong I love my Mac, I also use Windows 8.1 when I have to (mainly for work). All my servers are Linux only. I think none of the above OS is perfect. My job as a programmer is to be able to use any of them. What I can't stand is the idea that everybody must use what I think is free or better.
J_Darnley 13y ago
You're certainly right about that: http://web.archive.org/web/20010628082504/http://www.fefe.de/nowindows/ http://web.archive.org/web/20010628082504/http://www.fefe.de... That date being 2001-06-28.
- octopus 13y ago
  +1. I suppose today his call to arms will cover OS X and iOS too. Not sure about Android though. Some people consider Android a free OS, some don't.

loup-vaillant 13y ago

Read the damn text: > While this text singles out Microsoft, other companies are equally evil. For example, porting the diet libc to Solaris would help Sun, noone else. --- > A professional programmer is OS agnostic While this sound all neutral and reasonable, this is silly on two counts: First, different OSes have different qualities. A professional programmer isn't agnostic, she uses the best tool for the job. Second, licences themselves are not equivalent either: they dictate what one is allowed to do with the software. A professional programmer isn't agnostic, she warns her customer about those issues. If the customer wants to use a proprietary OS anyway, then you have a moral dilemma: help a proprietary vendor, or don't help your customer. Maybe the best choice is to write the software anyway. But don't try and pretend it doesn't suck.

octopus 13y ago
There is no best tool for a job, this is just wishful thinking. The best tool is usually the tool you know and that allows you to finish a particular job in a given amount of time. By agnostic I meant he must not judge an OS based on subjective criteria like it sucks. Otherwise I suppose I'm just old and silly :).
- loup-vaillant 13y ago
  > The best tool is usually the tool you know and that allows you to finish a particular job in a given amount of time. This is a fine criterion. Often a sufficient one, even. > By agnostic I meant he must not judge an OS based on subjective criteria like it sucks. Sure, but the author was advocating not using Windows nor Solaris because of their licences. I assumed your agnosticism meant licences don't matter much. But they do.