On Thursday 28 September 2006 13:16, "Bob Young" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote about 'RE: [gentoo-amd64] Re: How To Play WMV (thread drift - slaveryware)': > > -----Original Message----- > > From: news [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Duncan > > Sent: Thursday, September 28, 2006 3:27 AM > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: [gentoo-amd64] Re: How To Play WMV? > > > > I didn't > > switch to Linux after a decade on slaveryware just to be enslaved by a > > different master, and enslaved it is, > > Not really, *most* people will be, just as "enslaved" even if they do > use a GPLed version of the software.
Not true. The freedom to modify the code is important even if the user cannot directly exert it, because it allows the user to pay someone *other than the copyright holder* to do the modifications for them. Also, anyone is allowed to give their friend free software and to use free software for any purpose. Those freedoms are not provided to users of non-free software. > > when the lack of ATI and NVidia > > drivers is the only reason xorg-7.1 is not yet stable on x86 or amd64, > > and it's the same thing with other distributions -- their actions are > > holding a large segment of the would-be free software world hostage. > > Call it what you like, I call choosing to be a hostage to the whims of > > a software overlord choosing to be enslaved, and I both refuse to do > > it, and refuse to have my money go toward funding the slave-masters! > > How is that different from people who can't read code being at the whims > of Linux kernel developers? No one is at the whims of the kernel developers. Even if you can't read code, you can communicate with people *other than the kernel developers* who can read code. You aren't forced to trust the kernel developers word that patch X is "better" for linux. Sure, it may improve performance in 90% of the cases -- but what if you are in the other 10%? Even if you don't understand code, it's simple enough to reverse a patch. > The fact is, that's a weak argument at best, I call BS. > it's valid for a very small > group of people, namely programmers. Everyone else, even if they use > "freedomware," has to depend on *someone else* to fix/modify/update the > app/utility/driver. Yes, they might have to contact someone else. But, the are forced to send all changes through *one particular entity*. They can make their own choices on how the software they use is modified. Remember, free (libre) software isn't free (gratis). The production (and maintenance) of software has a cost and not matter how you license it you *can't* make that cost go away. > I fail to see that it really makes much of a difference whether Jane > Avgusr is dependent on a Linux kernel developer or on an engineer > working at nVidia. Because *no one* is dependent on the linux kernel developers. You can make the needed changes. If you don't have the ability to, you can get someone else to using other resources available to you. E.g. I really need my lawn mowed and I hate doing it; I'll trade you a mowed lawn for a kernel patch. Someone *has* to pay for the cost of maintaining and improving software. That's economic fact. NVidia says you have to pay *them* to improve their software. Linux kernel developers says you can pay *anyone with the skills* (or use your own time) to improve the software. Clearly, you have more options (and are thus more free) with free software. > There really is no such thing as "slaveryware" or "freedomware" it's all Yes, there very well is. I want software I'm free to distribute (I need freedomware). I want software I'm free to use how I see fit (I need freedom ware). I want software I can profile and audit myself > just software, and anyone who doesn't read/write code, which is the vast > majority of the population by the way, is dependent (i.e. "enslaved" by > RS's terminology) on someone else, who that someone else is, doesn't > really make much difference in terms of the dynamics of the > relationship. Analogy: improving and maintaining software = food software companies and individual developers = farms and farmers So, you are saying it "doesn't make much different" whether I'm forced to buy all my food from one particular farm or if I'm allowed to buy food from any farmer (probably on the free market)? The fact is that is DOES matter. And anyone that doesn't understand that is simplifying things to much. -- "If there's one thing we've established over the years, it's that the vast majority of our users don't have the slightest clue what's best for them in terms of package stability." -- Gentoo Developer Ciaran McCreesh
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