There needs to be a sustainable free software business model that small and large companies can easily adopt.<p>Donations aren't enough.<p>Support based models like RedHat lead to bad incentives and seems to limit one to enterprise clients. Its an option however, but then you're not directly selling your software either, but rather running a side gig alongside development.<p>Most other models that I see working involve saas / hosting, which is a good compromise but also weird: the creator earns nothing if you benefit from the license and use it to host your own instance, which is unfortunate and yet amazing for the end users.<p>There is also the industry association model like Linux uses, which has merit: various stakeholders buy an interest in a project to fund open development. This isn't feasible for the average entrepreneur though, although the creator of Vue apparently has some respectable funding.<p>The creators of something so great for end users should be able to get rich for doing so, rather than needing to make personal financial sacrifices to dedicate their time to the work. It should be more win win.
> I refuse to carry a portable phone. I never have one and unless things change, I never will. I do use portable phones, lots of different ones. If I needed to call someone right now, I would ask one of you, “Could you please make a call for me?”<p>I don't understand how RMS can find this behavior of his non-noteworthy. He claims to boycott things but admits to having a critical reliance on other people not boycotting. For someone deeply committed to extend ideals, the moral flexibility here is huge.<p>It'd be one thing if he advocate a network of swapping burner phones or something, but he's acting like an antivaxxer relying on the herd to indulge and accommodate his desire to get the benefits without paying the costs.
It's nice to read a write-up on RMS which doesn't editorialise what Stallman says, but just <i>reports it</i> polemicists often get criticised on interpretations not on their actual words.
He brings up an interesting problem for smartphone (or any cellphone) use. I know I will never see this as an available product but I would like: something like my Apple Watch that had a simple hardware switch that would turn off cell and GPS connectivity. Then I could occasionally check my messages or missed calls but most of the time have communications turned off. Note that the Apple Watch has an "airplane mode" that turns off cell connections (I think) but not sure about GPS.<p>I have read about Linux cellphones that do have hardware cutoff switches so that would be a good way to remain private most of the time.<p>EDIT: it looks like going to airplane mode also disables GPS: "when the user activates airplane mode, they will disable Bluetooth, GPS, phone calls, and Wi-Fi" nice!!<p>EDIT 2: starting with iOS 10, GPS reception stays on in airplane mode
In a strange coincidence, I was flying back from Bangalore in late Jan and the long curly haired person in the Emirates check-in line looked awfully like Richard Stallman. That's because it was Richard Stallman and in good Indian fashion, he was bring dropped off by someone who clearly adored him. I can't say I reach that level of admiration, but it's good there are people like him in the world.