Re: GDB is the GNU project's native debugger

[Paul Schlie <schlie@comcast.net>]

> Ian Lance Taylor wrote:
> For what it's worth, I believe that is to some degree a
> misunderstanding.  The goal of the FSF is a completely free system
> (this goal has been achieved).  This free system is intended to be
> superior both technically and philosophically, and thus encourage
> people to switch to it.
> 
> Running free tools on non-free systems is interesting only to the
> extent that it helps lead to a fully free system.  This happens
> because it encourages a broader range of people to put resources into
> improving the free tools, and thus improving the free system.

> However, running free tools on non-free systems is counterproductive
> to the extent that they make the non-free systems more usable, and
> thus delay the adoption of completely free systems.
> 
> Using the free tools as advertisements of the effectiveness of the GNU
> project is not actually a goal of the FSF, contrary to what you
> suggest.

As a not so minor nit, the notion of "FREE" needs to clarified:

- "FREE" from GNU's perspective has always predominantly referred to the
intellectual properly content being "FREE" of proprietary encumbrances.

- there's no such thing as "FREE" from a financial/resource point of view,
everything consumes resources, and gets paid for one way or another; GNU's
project has been financed/resourced by both individuals and corporations
simply because it's either perceived as either the right thing to do, or
(more often than not) simply perceived as being less expensive than
alternative solutions.

- arguably, adopting any bias which inhibits the applicability of GNU's
tools, actually encourages/requires the development of likely proprietary
alternatives in contradiction of GNU's goals, and indirectly reducing
opportunity to fund continued advancements, (which seems quite counter
productive overall).