Agree about the founding fathers. When dealing with other people there often has to be compromises to get things done. From what I've read, many (most?) of them thought that slavery was unconscionable, but didn't address it because they thought it would be impossible to get agreement on it at the time. (Of course, it took a horrible war later to resolve the matter.)

I think Linus definitely finds RMS irritating--he made that pretty clear in the book. :-) And I can see how people would agree.

I don't think it's so much about credit and adoration. I think he just has this unbending vision about the freedom we should enjoy with software, and I think it's one that if followed, will lead to a much better world. He's more abrasive and not always as diplomatic about it than you or I might choose to be, but I don't think of it as whining and complaining. Pragmatism and compromise are valuable and necessary, but I'm glad someone is firm in laying out an ideal situation. Not everyone will agree, of course, and others can offer alternatives.

Anyway, I'd usually take more time to get in to that topic--I hope it says what I meant it to.

Thanks for reading and your comments this past week. I appreciate some discussion around here. From the comments and what I've seen at your web site, it appears that you are a practical and reasonable person, something I value as much as certain uncompromising, heavy-handed idealists. :-)

You sometimes do something for one reason and then realize later that there were lots of better reasons.

As to RMS: I think Linus probably finds him irritating. I certainly do: he's always whining and complaining. His problem, of course, is that the world doesn't give him enough credit and adoration for his contributions. He's right: he got the short end of the stick. But that's life, and constantly whining about it doesn't help change anything.

It also doesn't help that he has little or no pragmatism. Our founding fathers WERE pragmatic; if they were not, the Constitution never would have been written because there never would have been consensus. They gave and took and horse-traded: RMS just stands stubbornly in the same place.