From: dsouth@uoft02.utoledo.edu (Dale Southard Jr.)
Newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss
Subject: Re: Apple loses "look and feel" lawsuit (forwarded)
Date: 13 Aug 92 23:50:55 EST
Organization: University of Toledo, Computer Services

In article <BsuIK7.32F@news.udel.edu>, johnston@me.udel.edu (Bill Johnston) writes:
> In article <LEE.92Aug11144015@meercat.wang.com> lee@wang.com (Lee Story) writes:
 
<lots of stuff deleted>

>>It's
>>starting to look a bit too much like a private feud between Stallman
>>and Sculley!
> 
> What it looks like to me is a case of picking a scapegoat that 
> is guaranteed to inconvenience very few in the unix community.
> 
> I doubt that Sculley has ever heard of Richard Stallman.  I'd
> be willing to wager that Roel Pieper, chairman of Unix Systems
> Laboratory, hasn't heard of Stallman either, or doesn't care.
> Pieper is chairman of Unix Systems Laboratory, which is currently 
> suing UC Berkeley and BSDI in a case that many people, including 
> some LPF members, regard as a 'look and feel' case.
> 
> If LPF is eventually forced to conclude that AT&T vs. BSDI falls
> "within the scope of concern of the LPF", they'll have a much
> more difficult decision to make.  Boycotting Apple was easy;
> the numbers of Mac users who also use unix is small, and the 
> subset that follows free software issues is smaller still.
> 
> It won't be so easy for members of the unix community to 
> boycott AT&T, or the companies cited above as joining with
> the CBEMA in support of Sega v. Accolade. 
> 
> That's the problem with boycotts.  Not only are they usually
> ineffective (as demonstrated by the fact that I type this
> on a Mac that runs emacs 18.58) but they are also difficult
> to justify.  
> 
> Protesting specific behavior works better, IMO.  It's certainly
> easier to be consistent.
> 
> 
>>I admit to a bit of bias, in that I own a Macintosh and would put A/UX
>>(or MachTen) on it if ports of the GNU software (not just an old
>>version of emacs and a version 1 gcc) were readily available.
> 
> Sorry, but this just isn't true.
> 
> A/UX ports of GNU software *are* readily available, including the
> latest versions of gcc and emacs, in the directory /mirrors/gnu/aux
> on wuarchive.wustl.edu (actually a symlink to /systems/aux).  
> 
> MachTen from Tenon Intersystems ships its port of gcc as part
> of its development system.
> 
> Boycotts don't work.

Agreed, so why use them?

The Apple boycott fails to produce any hardships/lack of sales for Apple.
In fact, the only people it inconveniences are the programmers (or at least
those of use that are foolish enough to abide by GNU's boycott because we
agree with the principle, if not the means).  It is important to remember
that most of the Mac users/programmers (including some of my friends that
work for Apple) see Apple inc. as a "great group of engineers ruined by a
few MBAs".

Not to mention that it makes GNU/LPF look more than a bit hypocritical (GNU --
the "league for programming freedom as long as it is preformed on machines
that we deem Politically Correct").

Wouldn't we all be better off with a protest campaign -- something along
the lines of including the appropriate address (J. Sculley, R. Pieper, ?)
to mail a postcard to (perhaps even what to say).  Apple has always been
VERY concerned about public image (and even concerned enough to GIVE AWAY
the designs that allow them to manufacture PC boards without using CFCs --
which brings up another question, what is more important, environmental
concern, or intellectual PCness).

Granted, I am suggesting this for selfish reasons (I develop Quantum
Mechanical Molecular Modeling programs for various platforms, though
not the Mac).  I would love to use GCC on all of the platforms, but
since I still do much of my prototyping on my Mac....

Again, I don't agree with Apple Inc's postion on look-and-feel. But I also
think that the boycott wastes everyone's time.  Especially when there
are other methods that would probably be far more sucessful at getting
the message across.  It is also, has been said before, taking the easy
way out.  Too bad, most of the Mac programmers I know would be more that
willing to come down on GNU's side, if GNU would let them....

-- 
/* Dale Southard Jr.                                 Sr. Rigger      */
/* University of Toledo                             AFF/I   SL/I     */
/* dsouth@uoft02.utoledo.edu                           D-11216       */
/* Department of Chemistry -- "Just another skydiving grad student." */