Re: GPL only modules [was Re: [GIT PATCH] more Driver core patchesfor 2.6.19]

From: Linus Torvalds
Date: Fri Dec 15 2006 - 20:53:48 EST




On Sat, 16 Dec 2006, Alan wrote:

> > blather and idiotic hogwash. "Information" doesn't want to be free, nor is
> > it somethign you should fight for or necessarily even encourage.
>
> As a pedant that is the one item I have to pick you up on Linus.
> Information wants to be free, the natural efficient economic state of
> information is generally free in both senses.

I would say that that is a different thing. It "takes effort" to actually
hide information, so in that sense, it's actually more expensive to try to
keep it "non-free".

But that has nothing to do with the FSF kind of "freedom", the same way
"no price" has nothing to do with that freedom.

So "information wants to be free" is more about "free as in beer", I'd
argue. Trying to suppress information (or spread mis-information) takes
real effort.

Linus
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