So a crazy, largely FUD remark is OK if it happens to be in a larger talk?
I did some searching, and this isn't the first time he's claimed LLVM is a threat to free software: http://digifesto.com/tag/eben-moglen/
I did some searching, and this isn't the first time he's claimed LLVM is a threat to free software: http://digifesto.com/tag/eben-moglen/
I don't agree with him, but he's making a remark consistent with his worldview. And it's hardly outside the mainstream to target Apple for violating programmer freedom.
However, by making it sound as if a concern about LLVM was the theme of his talk, you've made him sound crazy. That's unfair and lowers the level of discourse at HN.
Moglen is making it sound as if these technical benefits weren't a factor--Apple is supporting LLVM just to undermine free software.
First of all, he can't give any example of them doing anything with LLVM that actually undermines free software. He's just speculating that they could do so in the future.
Second, there is no rational basis for claiming that this hypothetical future ability to undermine free software is the sole (or even a major) reason Apple supports LLVM.
Moglen is just spreading FUD, pure and simple.
Also, how would you suggest that the submission title be worded?
Which is not to say that LLVM has no technical advantages over GCC.
It has everything to do with wanting to use the same code in the IDE as the compiler and not wanting to GPL their development tools. Never mind the additional tools we are likely to see as clang and it associated projects mature.
Elbowing GCC out of the dominant position in the market with a non-GPL'd component --- one that can easily be "taken private" with enhanced, patent-encumbered, closed-source variants --- is not a win for the FSF. No doubt the FSF thinks its important that the most widely-used C compiler is Free Software.
For the N thousandth time, I don't agree with Moglen, and if Moglen had given a talk titled "LLVM is a Serious Threat To Free Software", I'd think he was a crazy person. But he didn't. He made an offhand comment that totally fits with the FSF's worldview.
You've now spent far more time talking about how crazy Moglen is than Moglen spent talking about LLVM.
The appropriate title for your submission is "Eben Moglen on The State Of Free Software", since that's the title of his talk. Don't editorialize in the title; just write a comment to make your point.
The appropriate title for your submission is "Eben Moglen on
The State Of Free Software", since that's the title of his
talk. Don't editorialize in the title; just write a comment
to make your point.
However, I was submitting to promote discussion of one particular point from his talk. If I was editorializing, I would have used a title like "Moglen makes unsupported accusation against Apple" or something like that, rather than a simple, accurate conveyance of what he said.
I also found his remarks on MySQL and Oracle interesting. If someone wants to discuss them, I would see no problem with them submitting a link to his talk with a title calling attention to those specific remarks, so as to promote discussion of that particular part of the talk.
If the article you've submitted has 5,500 words in it, and the real title of that article (a) doesn't include the idea in your title and (b) accurately sums up the article, and you have to add a comment like "see minute 35:31 to see what I'm talking about" to have the title make sense, then you may have editorialized the title.
editorialize |ˌɛdəˈtɔriəˌlaɪz| verb [ intrans. ]
(of a newspaper, editor, or broadcasting organization) make comments
or express opinions rather than just report the news.
• offer one's opinion, as if in an editorial.
Alternatively, could you explain exactly how one should submit for discussion something that appeared in a longer article that discussed many unrelated things?