www/philosophy lest-codeplex-perplex.html

[Matt Lee]

CVSROOT:        /web/www
Module name:    www
Changes by:     Matt Lee <mattl>        09/11/10 17:51:35

Modified files:
        philosophy     : lest-codeplex-perplex.html 

Log message:
        updated

CVSWeb URLs:
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/philosophy/lest-codeplex-perplex.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.1&r2=1.2

Patches:
Index: lest-codeplex-perplex.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /web/www/www/philosophy/lest-codeplex-perplex.html,v
retrieving revision 1.1
retrieving revision 1.2
diff -u -b -r1.1 -r1.2
--- lest-codeplex-perplex.html  10 Nov 2009 15:54:52 -0000      1.1
+++ lest-codeplex-perplex.html  10 Nov 2009 17:51:28 -0000      1.2
@@ -78,7 +78,45 @@
 <p>Sam Ramji, now president of CodePlex, said a few months ago that
 Microsoft (then his employer) wanted to promote development of free
 applications that encourage use of Microsoft Windows
-(<a 
href="http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/3811941";>http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/3811941</a>).
+(<a 
href="http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/3811941";>http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/3811941</a>).
 Perhaps
+the aim of CodePlex is to suborn free software application developers
+into making Windows their main platform. Many of the projects hosted
+now on codeplex.com are add-ons for proprietary software. These
+programs are caught in a trap similar to the former Java Trap (see
+
+<a 
href="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/java-trap.html";>http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/java-trap.html</a>).</p>
+
+<p>That would be harmful if it succeeds, because a program that
+doesn't run (or doesn't run well) in the Free World does not
+contribute to our freedom.  A non-free program takes away its users'
+freedom.  To avoid being harmed in that way, we need to reject
+proprietary system platforms as well as proprietary applications.
+CodePlex free add-ons to a proprietary base increase society's
+dependence on that base &mdash; the opposite of what we need.</p>
+
+<p>Will free software application developers resist this attempt to
+undermine our progress towards freedom?  Here is where their values
+become crucial.  Developers that adhere to the "open source"
+philosophy, which does not value freedom, may not care whether their
+software's users run it on a free operating system or a proprietary
+one.  But developers who demand freedom, for themselves and for
+others, can recognize the trap and keep out of it.  To remain free, we
+must make freedom our goal.</p>
+
+<p>If the CodePlex Foundation wishes to be a real contributor to the
+free software community, it must not aim at free add-ons to non-free
+packages.  It needs to encourage development of portable software
+capable of running on free platforms based on GNU/Linux and other free
+operating systems.  If it tries to seduce us into going in the
+opposite direction, we must make sure to refuse.</p>
+
+<p>However good or bad the CodePlex Foundation's actions, we must not
+accept them as an excuse for Microsoft's acts of aggression against
+our community.  From its recent attempt to sell patents to proxy
+trolls who could then do dirty work against GNU/Linux to its
+longstanding promotion of Digital Restrictions Management, Microsoft
+continues to act to harm us.  We would be fools indeed to let anything
+distract us from that.</p>
 
 </div>
 
@@ -104,7 +142,7 @@
 <p>
 Updated:
 <!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2009/11/10 15:54:52 $
+$Date: 2009/11/10 17:51:28 $
 <!-- timestamp end -->
 </p>
 </div>