Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!apple!rutgers!njin!princeton!phoenix!pswisnov
From: pswisnov@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Peter S. Wisnovsky)
Newsgroups: gnu.emacs
Subject: Re: ./etc/APPLE.  No Free Software for Mac users.
Message-ID: <3754@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>
Date: 25 Sep 88 17:11:30 GMT
References: <10152@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU> <8809231927.AA00737@sugar-bombs.ai.mit.edu>
Reply-To: pswisnov@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Peter S. Wisnovsky)
Distribution: gnu
Organization: Princeton University, NJ
Lines: 20

In article <8809231927.AA00737@sugar-bombs.ai.mit.edu> rms@WHEATIES.AI.MIT.EDU (Richard Stallman) writes:
>Regardless of what the court says, a boycott can make a difference.
>Given any particular chance of winning, a company will be less likely
>to sue if they know this would create ill will among the public.

I see your point, but wonder who this boycott will hurt more, the
company or the users. Apple is a corperate entity whose function is to
make a profit: it is not clear to me that a boycott will convince
enough people to buy other computers to make Apple feel that a change
in policy is necessary. As a user of Gnu software and Apple computers,
however, I, and I imagine many others, would naturally be
dissappointed if Gnu software were not available on Apple computers.

It seems to me that this sort of boycott is similar to the issue of
divestment from South Africa, in that it is not clear whether the
boycott is a weapon with a sufficiently narrow focus. I support
divestment, but I recognize that we will undoubtedly hurt those we are
trying to help.
-- 
+ Peter Wisnovsky    pswisnov@phoenix.princeton.edu     BitNet: pswisnov@pucc +