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mcvoy.html (8302B)

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 <title>Thank You, Larry McVoy
 - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title>
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 <h2>Thank You, Larry McVoy</h2>
 
 <address class="byline">by Richard Stallman</address>
 
 <p>
 For the first time in my life, I want to thank Larry McVoy.  He
 recently eliminated a major weakness of the free software community,
 by announcing the end of his campaign to entice free software projects
 to use and promote his nonfree software.  Soon, Linux development
 will no longer use this program, and no longer spread the message that
 nonfree software is a good thing if it's convenient.
 </p>
 
 <p>
 My gratitude is limited, since it was McVoy that created the problem
 in the first place.  But I still appreciate his decision to clear it
 up.
 </p>
 
 <p>
 There are thousands of nonfree programs, and most merit no special
 attention, other than developing a free replacement.  What made this
 program, BitKeeper, infamous and dangerous was its marketing approach:
 inviting high-profile free software projects to use it, so as to
 attract other paying users.
 </p>
 
 <p>
 McVoy made the program available gratis to free software developers.
 This did not mean it was free software for them: they were privileged
 not to part with their money, but they still had to part with their
 freedom.  They gave up the fundamental freedoms that define free
 software: freedom to run the program as you wish for any purpose,
 freedom to study and change the source code as you wish, freedom to
 make and redistribute copies, and freedom to publish modified
 versions.
 </p>
 
 <p>
 The free software movement has said, &ldquo;Think of &lsquo;free speech,&rsquo; not
 &lsquo;free beer&rsquo;&rdquo; since 1990.  McVoy said the opposite; he invited
 developers to focus on the lack of monetary price, instead of on
 freedom.  A free software activist would dismiss this suggestion, but
 those in our community who value technical advantage above freedom and
 community were susceptible to it.
 </p>
 
 <p>
 McVoy's great triumph was the adoption of this program for Linux
 development.  No free software project is more visible than Linux.  It
 is the kernel of the GNU/Linux operating system, an essential
 component, and users often mistake it for the entire system.  As McVoy
 surely planned, the use of his program in Linux development was
 powerful publicity for it.
 </p>
 
 <p>
 It was also, whether intentionally or not, a powerful political PR
 campaign, telling the free software community that freedom-denying
 software is acceptable as long as it's convenient.  If we had taken
 that attitude towards Unix in 1984, where would we be today?  Nowhere.
 If we had accepted using Unix, instead of setting out to replace it,
 nothing like the GNU/Linux system would exist.
 </p>
 
 <p>
 Of course, the Linux developers had practical reasons for what they
 did.  I won't argue with those reasons; they surely know what's
 convenient for them.  But they did not count, or did not value, how
 this would affect their freedom&mdash;or the rest of the community's
 efforts.
 </p>
 
 <p>
 A free kernel, even a whole free operating system, is not sufficient
 to use your computer in freedom; we need free software for everything
 else, too.  Free applications, free drivers, free 
 <abbr title="Basic Input/Output System">BIOS</abbr>: some of those
 projects face large obstacles&mdash;the need to reverse engineer
 formats or protocols or pressure companies to document them, or to
 work around or face down patent threats, or to compete with a network
 effect.  Success will require firmness and determination.  A better
 kernel is desirable, to be sure, but not at the expense of weakening
 the impetus to liberate the rest of the software world.
 </p>
 
 <p>
 When the use of his program became controversial, McVoy responded with
 distraction.  For instance, he promised to release it as free software
 if the company went out of business.  Alas, that does no good as long
 as the company remains in business.  Linux developers responded by
 saying, &ldquo;We'll switch to a free program when you develop a
 better one.&rdquo; This was an indirect way of saying, &ldquo;We made
 the mess, but we won't clean it up.&rdquo;
 </p>
 
 <p>
 Fortunately, not everyone in Linux development considered a nonfree
 program acceptable, and there was continuing pressure for a free
 alternative.  Finally Andrew Tridgell developed an interoperating free
 program, so Linux developers would no longer need to use a nonfree
 program.
 </p>
 
 <p>
 McVoy first blustered and threatened, but ultimately chose to go home
 and take his ball with him: he withdrew permission for gratis use by
 free software projects, and Linux developers will move to other
 software.  The program they no longer use will remain unethical as
 long as it is nonfree, but they will no longer promote it, nor by
 using it teach others to give freedom low priority.  We can begin to
 forget about that program.
 </p>
 
 
 <p>
 We should not forget the lesson we have learned from it: Nonfree
 programs are dangerous to you and to your community.  Don't let them
 get a place in your life.
 </p>
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 <p>Copyright &copy; 2005, 2021 Richard Stallman</p>
 
 <p>This page is licensed under a <a rel="license"
 href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">Creative
 Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.</p>
 
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 <p class="unprintable">Updated:
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 $Date: 2021/09/19 16:26:24 $
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 </p>
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