3rd Fellowship Raffle to attract more Fellows

[Alfred M. Szmidt]

   > Then the only right thing to do is to not recommend any device,
   > just like one couldn't recommend any GNU/Linux specific system
   > until UTUTO-e came about (and closely following other 100% free
   > GNU/Linux poped up).

   That's true, however before UTUTO-e came along, people still needed
   a platform to use to work on. IIRC RMS ran Debian GNU/Linux (I
   don't know if he still does) as this was the most Free distribution
   at the time.

RMS never recommended Debian to people.

It is one thing that you as a developer have a device with non-free
software and trying hard to replace it or even that you run a system
where you removed all the non-free bits your self, but it is another
thing that a organisation or even a person, supposedly promoting free
software, starts distributing non-free software to its members/friends
in the vauge hope that someone, maybe, when all planets are aligned
exactly right, will replace the non-free software on this device.

I find this quite frightening.  What is next? Free copies of Windows
Vista to people so that they can write a free replacement?

   If there are devices that are already mostly-free, then this seems
   like a better starting point than a device which is entirely
   non-free, or even one that hasn't been designed yet.

I feel that this is missing the point, a device that is `mostly-free'
still has non-free software, and giving such a device to people, let
along recommending it is just as bad as handing out copies of a
non-free program.  This isn't about a starting point to writting free
software, but distributing non-free software to people; it was wrong
when we didn't have a completely free system, and it still wrong.


Cheers.