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A comment on Free Software: An idea whose time has passed?. Parent comment

Re:Free Software: An idea whose time has passed? by willhinsa on Thursday March 25, 2021 @06:37AM (#26578497)
The reason that mathematical contributions are accepted from anyone regardless of other proclivities, is not because the people who find significant mathematical ideas are very rare. While that is true, the reason that their contributions are accepted is that it doesn't matter who the person is, or what they do, or anything. It only matters if what they came up with is true.

To reject a completely correct mathematical concept because it was contributed by an awful person--even the worst person in history--would be madness, and any attempts to suppress or disenfranchise the work of "inconvenient contributors" indicates that you're not actually pursuing mathematics, but engaging in political warfare.

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Re:Free Software: An idea whose time has passed? by ianai on Thursday March 25, 2021 @06:44AM (#26578539)
And sufficiently fulfilling a software requirement is like being mathematically correct if not actually correct.

But I fear you’re being over constrained by this specification. My larger point is it’s important, very, to not draw too many lines and wind up with a “polite party” of 0.

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Re:Free Software: An idea whose time has passed? by willhinsa on Thursday March 25, 2021 @07:04AM (#26578687)
> And sufficiently fulfilling a software requirement is like being mathematically correct if not actually correct.

Absolutely.

> But I fear you’re being over constrained by this specification. My larger point is it’s important, very, to not draw too many lines and wind up with a “polite party” of 0.

I'm not sure I understand where we disagree. Or I'm missing what you are getting at with this paragraph, my apologies. I think contributions to mathematics should be open to anyone, everyone, and everything.

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