Posted on 05/31/2006 7:19:40 AM PDT by antiRepublicrat
Stallman-headed group's increasing politicization leaves a sour taste
When Richard Stallman created the Free Software Foundation (FSF) in 1985, it was organized around a radical idea: Software should be free, not just as in free of charge, but free as in the concept of liberty. During the next 20 years that idea turned out to be not just radical, but surprisingly practical. Beginning with Stallman's Emacs text editor, to the various Gnu utilities, the Linux kernel, and beyond, free software has proved to be an enduring success.
Much of the credit for that can be given to Stallman himself. Through his tireless campaigning, he has transformed this idealistic notion into something that the wider world, and even the business community, can accept and take seriously. Although it may not always be easy to agree with him, his arguments have been rational, and if nothing else, intellectually consistent to the last.
All the more reason to be disappointed by the FSF's recent, regrettable spiral into misplaced neopolitical activism, far removed from its own stated first principles. In particular, the FSF's moralistic opposition to DRM (digital rights management) technologies, which first manifested itself in early drafts of Version 3 of the GPL (Gnu General Public License), seems now to have been elevated to the point of evangelical dogma.
The FSF's most recent effort -- an anti-DRM protest staged at Microsoft's WinHEC conference last week, complete with demonstrators costumed in hazmat suits -- was particularly troubling. It signals a shift in the FSF, from an advocacy organization to one that engages in hysterical activism cut from the PETA mold.
(Excerpt) Read more at infoworld.com ...
Wow, that was a quick ping.
:)
DRM SUX! Finally something we agree on! :)
The FSF's most recent effort -- an anti-DRM protest staged at Microsoft's WinHEC conference last week, complete with demonstrators costumed in hazmat suits -- was particularly troubling. It signals a shift in the FSF, from an advocacy organization to one that engages in hysterical activism cut from the PETA mold.
bump
Maybe they will have a protest outside the apple store next? LOL
The article manages to ramble on and on without addressing the issue that made this revision to the GPL necessary -- to close a loophole whereby DRM and special-rights laws associated with it could be used to restrict rights that are guaranteed under the GPL (e.g. a digital signature scheme could prevent modified software from running unless the software distributor provided the key needed to produce a new digital signature).
That's not really the point, which is the FSF getting into moralistic activism on the subject.
(well, it's new to ME)
As to fair use if they do violate it that needs to be handled in court not through laws and stupid political stunts..
Whats funny is people confuse Linux with the GPL. Linus uses the license but has little taste for Stallmans endless preaching..
The accusation of "moralistic activism" is based on the author's failure to understand the point (which is, as I noted, to close a loophole that would otherwise allow DRM to prevent the effective exercise of rights guaranteed under the GPL).
Me too! I like finding areas of agreement!
:D why would I want software or a file on my computer that has code in it that I have no control over or have no idea what its doing? sheesh...
You mean like most closed source software? I have no idea. :-)
Good 'ol Linux, PcLinuxOS my flavor of choice. :)
If that's what Stallman wants, then disallowing DRM in his license is fine. But the FSF has gone beyond that and into activism against DRM in general. That's the point.
That's aside from the fact that I disagree with Stallman's "DRM loophole," which is basically just signed software recognized by hardware. I think Linus' sharks with laser beams can explain it better than I can.
If I buy a TiVO, the comapny does not have to give me the easy ability to run anything I want on it. I can still download TiVO's Linux and run it on other hardware with modifications. IMHO, that is in line with the spirit and letter of the GPL. Stallman wants to take the GPL a step further and force proprietary hardware to be open.
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