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On Monday 11 October 2004 2:23 pm, Neil Williams wrote:
Nobody owns software, least of all the author. Nobody has the right to stop me getting a copy of any software freely. Code is NOT a material object and cannot be considered alongside physical objects that require materials to be consumed by production. Rules that apply to a car or a sandwich do NOT apply to speech or code.
As a follow-on to that: This is where I depart from the open source idea - I don't like open source that isn't also free software because it reduces the impact of the choice. Making the source code available is more than just a courtesy, it marks a respect for those who made that code possible. Code is built on top of other code, any one project on GNU/Linux requires gcc. If not for the actual project code then in the creation of the editors, test programs, toolkits and documentation utilities. If you don't make your code at least as free as the code you used to create it, what does that say about your standards? What does it say about your honesty? How does it make others feel when they want to use your code with the same freedom that you had when you wrote it? It is disrespectful to remove freedoms from future generations because of your convenience today. You should not steal freedom from those who will follow. Restricting code when you have the choice to keep it free is theft, you are keeping for today what should be inherited by the future. It can be very hard work to reinstate the initial freedom after a period of restriction. It's often easier to start again from scratch - as with GNU. Paying lip service to open source whilst forgetting the need for free software inevitably harms the next generation of developers. OK, the code is fine now, but what about a few years down the line? If your licence doesn't REQUIRE that modifications are freely contributed back to the community, a few years from now the proprietary modifications will eclipse the source project and the free software can become obsolete. THIS is the reality of embrace and extend all over again, on a longer timescale. It's hard work keeping a free software project updated with open standards, it is far easier to invent a proprietary standard that doesn't have to live up to open standards and doesn't require half as much work. Microsoft have always done this - witness the proprietary HTML tags that were so common with IE3 and 4. Netscape were also guilty. We are still living with the resulting carbuncles now. (Otherwise known as websites that sport 'Best viewed with ...' spoilers.) This is how proprietary companies have always dealt with standards: 1. Strip the best bits 2. Ignore requests to support the hard bits of the standard 3. Keep pushing until the standard is abandoned because of a perceived lack of support. It's about abusing the monopoly position. Strong arm tactics. Only when the open standard is upheld by a consensus of users and developers can the proprietary software houses be brought to book and forced to comply. We can all do our bit to support open standards that are so vital for open source and free software: If no free software is available, look for proprietary programs that uphold the standards and support them, stay away from proprietary programs that denigrate the standards or try to add 'extensions' that lock-out other users. (Back to PowerDVD again.) It's the Windows Media Player saga - don't pander to it by providing content in WMP-only formats, stick to open standards and don't be swayed. Stay away from patented formats - refuse to accept or output content that requires the use of patented code. (PowerDVD again.) When I received an e-ticket for LinuxWorld Expo that required Adobe Acrobat 5 I was apoplectic! Don't accept it, don't stand for it. I complained in strong and bitter terms. (Those who have been here a while may have been on the end on some diatribe from me before, I promise you, those were nothing compared to what I said to the Expo people.) I was not aggressive or insulting, not libellous or slanderous but I didn't spare their blushes either. Be direct, be forceful, describe alternatives, above all be honest, clear, accurate and precise. No embellishments or exaggerations that will let them off the hook. Make sure it's clear that YOU understand the subject and that you won't be fobbed off. Don't leave questions hanging, provide evidence, provide quotes from reputable sources, provide links to reputable sites (like FFII, FSF, AFFS etc.). If they try and fob you off with some sob story, complain again. If they aren't the right people to talk to, demand to know who is responsible for the decision. (Don't get distracted into pursuing a third party either - THEY chose to use the software, THEY can choose to use something else, it is not your fault that the program doesn't support what THEY should offer.) Remember: This is a proprietary situation, money will usually have changed hands and there is a contract. They have an obligation to answer genuine complaints. To quote of out context: "All it needs for evil to prosper is for good men to do nothing." "All it needs for proprietary software to overwhelm us is for free software users to say nothing." Where there is no alternative, put up a web page that explains why and try and get people interested in developing an alternative or if you have the skills, DIY. Be clear about what is needed and what would be useful. Where there IS an alternative, use it (even if it does everything you need but doesn't do everything you *want*) and join the mailing list to ask about those features that are different to a proprietary version. If you've got the skills, JOIN the project, submit patches and bug reports, submit documentation (if you can write an email you can write documentation), help others on the mailing list (as here) and take part. (Most of you will know that I'm not recommending anything I don't already do myself here. Live by the rules you promote to others and they will follow.) -- Neil Williams ============= http://www.codehelp.co.uk/ http://www.dclug.org.uk/ http://www.isbn.org.uk/ http://sourceforge.net/projects/isbnsearch/ http://www.biglumber.com/x/web?qs=0x8801094A28BCB3E3
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