Re: Using of parse tree externally

[dewar at gnat dot com (Robert Dewar)]

<<It is an ironical situation that a reading of "free software
philosophy" prevents free software.
>>

A confusing statement, because the two uses of free in this sentence
are subtly different. In fact no one is prevented from writing a tree
from gcc if they want to (as I noted we already do this for GNAT).

<<Or people have started the work but refrain from publishing their in
fear of getting such mails -- which in effect is equivalent to having
nothing.
>>

Part of freedom is that people can say whatever they want. Your definition
of freedom seems to involve a mechanism by which people can be stopped
from saying what they think.

If someone chooses to take into account what other people think in modifying
their own behavior, it is a huge stretch to say that this is a restriction
on their freedom!