Humbug! The very mailing list that you run, the system it probably sits on, the software that serves the web page that describes it... these are all the results of what you call an "obsession masquerading as a principle" (after all IIS, Yahoo Groups, are "free"). And even the things you appreciate would not be so accessible if not for these obsessions. So, yeah Stallman can be wrong or even extreme, but his actions and principles matter for the world (of computer users) at large (Tayssir quotes Shaw in explanation)... those who wish to escape the clutches of Microsoft but cannot quite yet afford the vanity brands (Mac OS). And his principles are clearly stated and argued (Flash could be free today but not so tomorrow. It's future, including compatibility, varies in relation to the goals of Adobe, not the people or the users. Freeing the code and freeing the data provides a level of protection against such abuse). Hey, if the Church of Marx can show me even 1/10th of that sort of achievement I will find the sneering a bit less believable!
--ravi