OT Re: A possible GFDL compromise: a proposal
Branden Robinson <branden@debian.org> a tapoté :
> On Tue, Sep 09, 2003 at 11:11:19AM +0200, Mathieu Roy wrote:
> > MJ Ray <markj@cloaked.freeserve.co.uk> a tapoté :
> > > > [...] And the affected ones will be users at first (lacking good
> > > > documentation because of an invariant section that is maybe not
> > > > something they consider as non-free),
> > >
> > > This is not a new effect: users who disagree with our definition of
> > > free software already don't have some things they may consider as free
> > > in Debian.
> >
> > Not *in* Debian, but *shipped by* Debian. For you, there's no
> > distinction between GNU Emacs manual and Macromedia Flash?
>
> This is fallacious reasoning.
>
> One can make a distinction between unlike things without asserting or
> implying that all things so distinguished are identical in all other
> respects.
>
> Example:
>
> * Moose have antlers.
> * Rabbits do not have antlers.
> :. Rabbits are not moose.
>
> * Moose have antlers.
> * Cats do not have antlers.
> :. Cats are not moose.
>
> Your argument above asserts:
>
> :. Rabbits are cats.
>
> To see why this is so, substitute the "DFSG test" for the "antler test".
>
> That the GNU Emacs Manual and Macromedia Flash Player both fail the DFSG
> does not mean they are identical in all other respects. The mere fact
> that they both fail the DFSG tells us nothing else about them.
>
> I must confess to some disappointment in the cogency of your reasoning.
Literally ad hominem means "targeting the man" (how he looks like,
sure, to take the more simplistic case... but also how he writes, how
behaves).
Save me your lessons which has nothing to do with computing. I did not
say that you were doing fallacy (so forget all the nice web pages
about "logical fallacies") -- it would requires you to be really
involved in the debate.
This whole mail you sent is only about my "argument" which "above
asserts [...]". Unfortunately but there's no argument or assertion in
a question. And the interrogative form denotes a question (there's no
sign of irony in this phrase).
You are a major contributor to Debian, surely a great developer, but I
just cannot understand how to talk with you about something different
than persons in this GFDL thread. So naturally, the wisest solution
for me is to avoid any replies to you (and globally to avoid the
GFDL-thread since I got now a picture of the points of views)
It leads me to support Bruce's proposal -- a draft made by a small
group of persons from both FSF and Debian, proposed here, would surely
be helpful.
Regards,
--
Mathieu Roy
Homepage:
http://yeupou.coleumes.org
Not a native english speaker:
http://stock.coleumes.org/doc.php?i=/misc-files/flawed-english
Reply to: