Where Fedora Went Wrong (nice conclusion)

[Ric Moore]

On Tue, 2007-05-15 at 14:44 -0700, Ada Ho wrote:

> Lynn Margulis, the biologist, likes to point out that bacteria freely
> exchange their genes in a global network. One could hardly say that bacteria
> do this "altruistically" (could a bacterium be altruistic?) Rather, they do
> it because it offers a survival advantage - in economic terms, it's a
> good/service. 
> 
> It's good to know that the human species is catching up to bacteria by means
> of the internet and the free software movement. 
> 
> So don't dispair when "Free Riders" gripe about what they're getting from
> the free software "marketplace". They only do it because they've long since
> adapted to being passive, helpless consumers or wards of the state. The
> value to the world gained by free software is far greater than that taken
> away by "Free Riders". If things don't work perfectly sometimes, it's
> because the open "marketplace" is fostering progress - and change. 
> 
> en I 
> see something I think needs to be addressed.
> 
> The way I see it, Free and Open Source Software is a massive act of altruism
> 
> performed by many people for the good of the worldwide community. Users of 
> FOSS should recognise this fact and be sure to give at least something back 
> to the community in return, even if it isn't a contribution to the operating
> 
> system they use for free. Many computer users don't have the skills to write
> 
> code or the time available due to family commitments etc to write 
> documentation, but everybody can find time to go along to, say, a blood 
> donation session or spend a few hours sometimes helping a charity, thus 
> putting something back into the community.

Thanks for making my point for me Ada, intelligence abounds on this
list. That was a great opinion and I'm gonna rip it to my archives! Ric

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