>From: michael hast <evylrobot19@cox.net>
>Reply-To: slug@nks.net
>To: slug@nks.net
>Subject: Re: [SLUG] Cheap'n good laptops for Linux
>Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2006 06:03:32 +0000
>
>Okay. I've been at this for a little while now. Maybe I'm being
>thick-headed, but what part of that might be immoral? The fact that they
>want to retain ownership of their code? Should all software producing
>companies be forced to share their code? Wouldn't that attitude support
>M$'s argument about Open Source supporting communism?
Preface: My apologies to the list for hijacking the previous thread.
Disclaimer: It is not necessarily my opinion that proprietary software is
immoral nor is it my intent to persuade any on the list to reach a
particular conclusion. However, I'll try to touch on a few reasons that some
consider proprietary software to be immoral.
Some people, most notably RMS, feel that proprietary source code is
antisocial because of the ways that its distributors dissuade users from
exhibiting social behavior (e.g. sharing) that many communities consider to
be positive and beneficial to society. Often, those that distribute
proprietary software forbid others from distributing it. Even distributors
that do not charge money sometimes demand that one cannot share software one
likes with another member of the community.
Many proprietary programs forbid how and where the program can be run by
defining use restrictions based on the number of computers, processors,
users, locations, or similiar. For instance, a proprietary program may limit
its use to one computer. If a user wants to use this program at work and at
home, he or she is forced to purchase two copies of the software even though
this user only uses one copy, at most, at any given point in time.
Users of proprietary software are completely dependent on the distributor
for further development of any nature including feature and security
enhancements. Any changes a user would like to see in a piece of proprietary
software can only be implemented by the distributor. For example, many users
would probably like it if the Adobe Flash plug-in for Linux did not lock up
the sound card and prevent any other audio application from playing sound
simultaneously with a Flash animation. As it stands, Adobe is the only
entity in a position to make this change and will only do so if it is in
Adobe's best interest. If a distributor dies, goes bankrupt, abandons a
project or ceases development for any other reason, the users of that
proprietary software have reached a dead-end. In contrast, free (libre)
software allows anyone to make changes to a program. Furthermore,
development can always continue as long as users wish it and users are never
forced to accept features they dislike because forks are possible.
Proprietary software cannot be audited for security vulnerabilities,
backdoors, or bugs. Users have no way to ensure that a program will not eat
their data or leave their computers wide open to a security breach. There is
also the concern that some companies use their software as a means of
gathering data about their users. For instance, data is sent to Microsoft
via the Internet when users use the search feature in Windows. Users are not
always given the choice of whether or not to permit such invasions of their
privacy and have no way of inspecting a program's source code to ensure
these sorts of things are not occuring without their consent or knowledge.
So in summary, proprietary software places users in a subservient position
in which the proprietary software distributor is their master. In a sense,
proprietary software shackles users. In contrast, users of free (libre)
software have no master. They are (or at least have the ability to be) in
complete control of their computers, their programs, and their data. So in
contrast to proprietary software, free (libre) software liberates users.
This is the crux of the issue and why some percieve proprietary software to
be immoral.
Jonathon
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