We made a interview with Eric Raymond of OSI in the FISL 6 (International Free Software Forum) in Porto Alegre - RS - Brazil, June 01-06. The focus of the interview was about the division between FSF and OSI and about the impact of the brazilian community in the world of free software.

Fido: What are the differences that you see between this forum and the other ones?

Eric: The community here in Brazil is larger and more vigorous then I used to see

Fido: What's your solution for success for Open Source in Brazil?

Eric: Same as it is also where, catch people by their self-interest and their beliefs will follow

Fido: It's the same thing that you said in your presentation...

Eric: There is no reason to be different in Brazil

Fido: Talking about politics, do you usually become angry when people say that open source and free software are communist organizations?

Eric: Yes, because I believe that communism is very evil

Fido: What's is your definition for a better society?

Eric: Ah... Well...

Fido: It's a very difficult question

Eric: It's one that will take a long explanation to go with it, because it involves a kind of politics you don't have here.

Fido: In Brazil?

Eric: Well... It's very weird.... but around the world too. The word libertarian means anything to you? I'm a libertarian, which means I believe in free markets and little government evolvement, or no government, if you can understand me...

Fido: I think there are a lot of meanings for libertarian

Eric: Yes, there is.

Fido: I think there are a lot of definitions to the term 'Libertarian'. I think in term Anarchist.

Eric: Well, I'm an anarchist, but I'm a capitalist anarchist. But I'm not a left anarchist like I used to be.

Fido: It's the right way to... (Eric started to talk...)

Eric: I refuse the term 'The right way...'. And I refuse the term 'The right way' because I'm not a conservative, I have no interest in preserve existing power relationships or return the things to the way they used to be or in giving power to corporations or in giving power to anybody, so I reject the term 'The right way'...

Fido: You believe in market economy?

Eric: Right, I believe in individual voluntary choice, I believe in markets and I believe in freedom.

Fido: You said that there's no need of a division in Free Software/Open Source movement. But, when you promote the Open Source doesn't end establishing a distinction between FSF and OSI?

Eric: Well... the distinction it's an FSF idea... not ours. My view it's that it's all part of the Open Source community and that FSF it's a part of it, with it's particular ideas. It's the FSF that wants to divide the community.

Fido: Are they orthodoxies?

Eric: Something like that. Yes. But it's their position in split the community in two... I don't agree with that.