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List:       kde-promo
Subject:    Re: [kde-promo] Fwd: Knoppix, KDE
From:       Andreas Pour <pour () mieterra ! com>
Date:       2003-05-14 23:04:17
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Hi,

The purity-practical debate is one that will live long.  However, I think nobody
can really satsify the purity test.  For example, consider the software that
runs (1) your computers' BIOS; (2) various controllers and subsystems, including
SCSI; (3) cell phones; (4) cars; (5) many other electronic devices; etc.  Unless
you refuse to use a computer using AWARD BIOS, for example, or to drive a car,
or fly on an airplane, unless it uses completely Free Software, you have already
compromised.

The question is always, compromise how much?  And once you realize that, the
debate becomes more meaningful.  And you see that, like everything else, it
involves line-drawing.

That said, having a completely "free" Knoppix CD with KGX (KDE/GNU/Linux) is a
great idea; OTOH having one that will impress more users is also great, on the
theory that more users will mean more free software (and even FSF compromised in
the past when Free Software was not available to do certain things, presumably
on this basis).

Ciao,

Dre

Karl-Heinz Zimmer wrote:
> 
> On Wednesday 14 May 2003 23:04, you wrote:
> > The prio #1 goal is making it Very Useful.
> > 
> > The person who told me about the project said the goal was
> > specifically to make it completely free.  That's why I think it
> > is a good project; that is why I am interested in the results.
> 
> Obviously our goals are different.
> 
> As I told you before I /also/ am sure Freedom of the software is an
> important goal, but I never would think that it is more important
> than _being_usefull_ of the software.
> 
> Unfortunately you can not always (but often) have both: in our case
> it is important to include a few non-free things to get a usefull CD,
> so it should be clear that the goal of Freedom must stand behind the
> goal of being usefull here.
> 
> Sorry, but such is life - we are not living in an ideal world, we are
> only _trying_ to make it a bit better.
 
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