[OctDev] Non-free packages in CRAN

2011/11/18 Jordi Guti?rrez Hermoso<jordigh at octave.org>:
   

I don't see how MOSEK is making free software stronger. It's not
encouraging the usage of more free software. It's encouraging the use
of MOSEK. MOSEK should not be endorsed by an organisation that is
supposed to promote free software.

If these really are your views and they're representative of the R
project, then the solution seems to be to make R stop calling itself
part of the GNU project. I hope it doesn't do this.

- Jordi G. H.

     

I'm not going into the discussion about which license represents what.
I hate politics and ideological discussions because of all the blabla.
I'm a statistician. I work with facts.

Fact : Simon is not the R-project, the R-core or the R community. He's
one guy, and a pretty smart one that is.
Fact : At my department several people use R only because they have
access to non-GPL programs through R: because they can load Excel and
SPSS files if they have to, connect to SQLServer and Access, ...
Fact : They often don't use Octave for exactly the same reason: They
don't have access to the tools they need. They're using Matlab
instead. We do have SPlus on the servers too. Guess how many people
are using that...
Fact : I get paid for statistical advice. I pay for a hammer. I pay
for a bike. If I have to pay for a tool I need on my computer, I pay
for it. If there's a free alternative that can get me as far, I use
that one and support their community with a gift if I care enough
about the tool. Which reminds me...
Fact : If I see too many quasi-religious statements, tool goes out and
I leave the building.

You're not doing your cause a favor here.

Cheers
Joris

Being religious about free software never helped the cause. And by