Re: [Audio-video] http://audio-video.gnu.org/video/ghm2013/Samuel_Thibault_Jean-Philippe_Mengual-Freedom_0_for_everybody_really_.text

[Richard Stallman]

[[[ To any NSA and FBI agents reading my email: please consider    ]]]
[[[ whether defending the US Constitution against all enemies,     ]]]
[[[ foreign or domestic, requires you to follow Snowden's example. ]]]

    1. Richard, what do you mean when you say that "accessibility is a 
    functionality"?

"Functionality" refers to the useful things that a program
does when it runs.  For instance, if it is a C compiler,
that is a functionality.  If the C compiler handles C89,
that's a (more specific) functionality.  If it implements alloca,
that's an (even more specific) functionality.  If a program
can communicate with a screen reader, that's also a functionality.

Thus, each specific feature that contributes to accessibility is a
functionality.

    If I cannot run Evolution (Gnome), I am unable to debug, 
    use, study and modify it. Why? Because I have not all my physical 
    potential. Does it seem ethical for you?

The question is misconceived, because this problem is mainly due
to your being blind, and (except in special cases) nobody is to
blame for that.

I think it is a damned shame that you are blind.  I think the
government should spend our money on work to make things easier for
blind people.  This can include improving free software for the sake
of blind users.

But your blindness does not make you ethically entitled to order a
specific person do specific work to help you out.

    3. You are afraid, when you hear "Freedom 0 could ship accessibility", 

What you have said is, "Accessibility is a part of freedom 0."  That
is a dreadful mistake and compels me to oppose your activities.

    a) When we promote a11y for devs, we do not tell them "know all 
    disabilities and make your software accessible". We explain rather that, 
    if a program is developped properly, it can present all info needed by 
    accessibility pipe

That practical activity we would be glad to support -- if only you
drop the broader philosophical statement that distorts the idea of
freedom.

    We only want to give a stronger message, with 
    more consequences,

If what really matters to you is a stronger impetus for making free
programs accessible, the FSF would gladly join you in supporting that,
if you stop confusing the idea of freedom.

-- 
Dr Richard Stallman
President, Free Software Foundation
51 Franklin St
Boston MA 02110
USA
www.fsf.org  www.gnu.org
Skype: No way! That's nonfree (freedom-denying) software.
  Use Ekiga or an ordinary phone call.