I see your point, and I find it interesting. I'm not convinced that it is Poettering's goal to build an easy workaround for the GPL, but I can see how someone trying to do that would follow the path of IPC. I would be interested to see if there is more evidence on this topic.

My point is, that's not necessarily enough. Something can still be a derivative work, even if it uses IPC.

I, on a personal level, am skeptical about the usage--or at least the possible over-usage--of mood-altering medications primarily because we know so little about the way they work. See TFA as an example. I'm doubly skeptical on using SSRIs and other drugs on childrens, adolescents, and even young adults, as there are even more uncertainties about these drugs on still-developing brains!

Having said that, SSRIs are common medications today. The kind of people who are suicidal or have such a mood-disorder that going on a shooting rampage seems like a good idea are exactly the people for whom you would expect SSRIs to be prescribed! In other words, are SSRIs causing these issues (and earning your blame), or were the problems there to begin with?

I don't know, and I don't know of any studies or other medical evidence that points either way. IMH(and not not scientifically grounded)O, I would, like you, suspect some causal relationship.

Same reason why those of us who take tramadol go through serotonin withdrawal.

Do you see how that's not actually a rebuttal? All he's said is, "it's not complex." But the criticisms are that it is more complex. He hasn't said anything to address the criticisms, except that he disagrees with them!

Does it really surprise you that he disagrees? I hope not.

I don't.

Don't worry, your rates aren't going to go up AND you can keep your doctor too.

That's why you carry spare parts with you. And why you "design for maintenance". And why you do extensive development and testing beforehand to figure out what parts are most likely to break. And design parts to be reliable. And reinforce the parts where you can. And...

And after you do all of those things, sometimes something breaks that you don't have a spare for. And when the nearest replacement part is nine months away, you're screwed.

Being able to make spare parts is a GOOD thing. And the fewer things you have to carry along to make spare parts with, the better.

That's not a very good argument, I might as well say, "unless he's going to write code that's not crap, he's just a whiner." Woohoo, a point that makes no sense.

For specific, easy to see problems with the blog post, start by noticing that he actually agrees with many of the points that he calls myths. You don't even need to dig deep! The following are quotes from the actual post:

The main thing it needs to fall under GPL is to be a derivative work. That's a legal term, and as you mention, a grey area.

But merely using RPCs instead of linking isn't enough to keep it from being a derivative work: I'm sure you can think of ways a product could still be a derivative work.

If that interface isn't easily replaceable, you have a problem.