rms@AI.MIT.EDU (Richard Stallman) (11/18/90)
Wrong. What it does is keep people from using GNU products. This kind
of action actually helps *other* 3rd party developers, but not GNU, and
certainly not the rest of the world.
This is the standard "Somebody will do it, so why not me" argument
that is used to justify all sorts of more or less undesirable
activities, ranging all the way to selling dictators guns. I'm
surprised that anyone hasn't seen the fallacy yet. But I'll spell it
out.
It is true that some people will use non-GNU software instead of GNU
software. But the non-GNU software is not as good (for example, it
isn't free). The net result is to make the Apple machine less
attractive than other machines which we do support.
And this puts pressure on Apple to drop the suit, which would help all
computer users.
Say I support your boycott and I
can't get someone to help me bring up g++ on my A/UX box. What do I
do? Throw out the box?
He could sell it used, thus depriving Apple of a sale. But this
scenario misses the point of the boycott: people who find out about
the boycott before buying a machine might choose another brand.
It's true that a boycott by the FSF alone isn't going to be enough
pressure. We need a lot of other developers to join in.
But if everyone waits for a large number of others to show the boycott
will be powerful, no one will start. We need someone to be the first,
then someone else to be the second, etc., to avoid waiting for each
other.
So: the FSF was the first. How about if you are the next one?