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List:       linux-kernel
Subject:    Re: UDI and Free Software
From:       Richard Stallman <rms () gnu ! org>
Date:       1998-10-13 5:25:46
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    If someone has a necessary piece of hardware, and it doesn't work
    for them, and you say "sorry, no driver exists" when there is
    one, just not a GPL one, then they may decide to use an alternate
    system instead of Linux.

Some people might decide to use another system; some might decide to
buy a replacement card.  Unless you are giving advice to a particular
person you know, you can't really predict which one will do better
in the specific issue.

Even if you think that a non-free program counts as a solution for a
problem (I don't think it is), clearly this is not the solution we
really want.  What we want is a free driver.  But if the community
accepts non-free drivers as legitimate, we will not reinforce the
kind of spirit that motivates people to write free drivers.

I think we should not weaken the impetus to solve the problem for
real, for the sake of a temporary stop-gap.

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