Submission + - Richard Stallman's Dissenting View on Steve Jobs
theodp writes: One can always depend on Richard M. Stallman for a provocative take on tech issues, notes the L.A. Times' Michael Hiltzik, and Stallman's response to the death of Steve Jobs delivers: 'Steve Jobs, the pioneer of the computer as a jail made cool, designed to sever fools from their freedom, has died. As Chicago Mayor Harold Washington said of the corrupt former Mayor Daley, 'I'm not glad he's dead, but I'm glad he's gone.' Nobody deserves to have to die — not Jobs, not Mr. Bill, not even people guilty of bigger evils than theirs. But we all deserve the end of Job' malign influence on people's computing. Unfortunately, that influence continues despite his absence. We can only hope his successors, as they attempt to carry on his legacy, will be less effective.' While the remarks predictably prompted an outpouring of indignation, Hiltzik argues that Stallman's critique of Jobs' business model has merit and deserves to be heeded.