Populating the list and its archives with erroneous and misleading messages is not a very good thing to allow. Repeated misleading posts are like urging the FSF-I to adopt a message contrary to what it is trying to spread. People are free to have their own opinions, but IMHO, when such opinions conflict with the explicitly stated goal of the FSF, a FSF-I forum is not the place to propagate them.

Newbies do read the archives, and unrebutted wrong messages in the archives are not exactly conducive to work of the FSF-I. Flaming people who correct wrong messages too is not a very good practise either.

Imagine the "good" publicity we would have got in slashdot,

<rant>

Earlier soft-glove approaches to people deliberately making wrong statements and flaming people trying to correct them, have resulted in kind of messages quoted below, which you can find at http://mm.gnu.org.in/pipermail/fsf-friends/2003-August/001145.html

I have slightly modified the original to appear as if it a /. post.

<quote from an imaginary /. article>

FSF INDIA CORRECTS ITSELF

THE FSF-I has finally agreed that imposition of the terms such as "GNU" and "Free Software" is not justifiable as these word contains only manufactured messages to convey. FSF-I has decided that it is not advisable to urge others to use a term whose message is a manufactured one. Advocates of these terms may have some emotional satisfication in using these terms and need not be the case with all who campaigns for the freedom.

In a press note issued today, the FSF-I acknowledged that a movement or philosophy is called after its originator. However common sense requires that a product is referred by its shortest name for convenience. The note goes on to admit that though major portion of the Linux OS is developed by the GNU project, (a) linux sense is better than common sense (b) 3 is greater than 5, (c) there is no Linux OS other than GNU/Linux. The FSF-I therefore has consented to the usage of "Linux" is justified by ease of use.

The note goes on to say ''... There are spatial variations in the meaning of certain words. The word "Free" for us is actually more linked with 'free of cost' than to "freedom". However it is understood that there is concerted effort by FSF team to use "Free" for freedom whenever it is linked with software. In other sectors, advocates of imperialist globalisation use the term "Free" for freedom where freedom is a psuedo-freedom. And FSF-I consider "Free" as propaganda term by advocates of imperialist globalisation in other fields. It is found that nowadays even members of FSF teams are using the acronym "FLOSS" to avoid these confusion created by the term "Free".

<end imaginary /. post>

</rant>