> But how well does RMS' model scale to our modern, global and interconnected society?
It doesn't. But it isn't supposed to. Stallman is consciously upholding a moral ideal that most in tech are not.
The goal is not for everyone to be like RMS. The goal is to sway the companies who build tech for everyone to be like RMS.
Consider for a moment how much open source software Google, Microsoft, and Apple use in their proprietary products. Is it ethical to use that much free software for the corporation's own personal gain?
>Is it ethical to use that much free software for the corporation's own personal gain?
I don't believe it's necessarily unethical for a corporation to take advantage of open source software if the open source code is distributed with a license which allows for commercial use. I think if the author wants not to care about that, then that should be their right.
That said, closed-source code does make theft a lot easier to hide, so the case is stronger for the use of free software validating the (ethical) integrity of a company.
It doesn't. But it isn't supposed to. Stallman is consciously upholding a moral ideal that most in tech are not.
The goal is not for everyone to be like RMS. The goal is to sway the companies who build tech for everyone to be like RMS.
Consider for a moment how much open source software Google, Microsoft, and Apple use in their proprietary products. Is it ethical to use that much free software for the corporation's own personal gain?