This is an
excerpt from an
interview conducted for 01Net. In it, Richard Stallman makes the
consequences of his views a bit more
explicit.
"Q: Imagine I'm a developer. Isn't it my freedom to decide if I want to sell source code under a proprietary licence, or under a free license like the GPL?
A: No! Proprietary software is immoral and should not exist. If you give me a copy of a program, I have the right to use it freely. The users have the right to decide what to do with the software they use. The choice is not given to the developers. We don't let enterprises, or a tyrant decide. You don't have the right to impose your preferences. The mission of the FSF is to convince the users they should not tolerate proprietary software any more."
In other words, Free Software isn't about freedom - at least not if you're a developer. In Stallman's world the user rules. It doesn't matter how much time and effort you put into writing your software; you have no right to expect compensation or even recognition.
Who's the tyrant now?
You can read the original interview (in French only) here: http://www.01net.net/rdn?oid=167864&rub=1695