It struck me that "Software Freedom" may mean several things, including the idea that people have the freedom to lawfully acquire and use any software they like. Perhaps, it is this meaning that should be higlighted on Software Freedom Day in future, so that it may be celebrated by one and all in a spirit of brotherhood. Recognising the freedom to use any software we like would also mean that all have a chance to be treated alike, and no person would be criticised for his individual choice of software. I feel this may become increasingly apparent in the days to come.
--- Ramanraj K ramanraj.k@gmail.com wrote:
It struck me that "Software Freedom" may mean several things, including the idea that people have the freedom to lawfully acquire and use any software they like.
Could you elaborate or rephrase ? Are you saying that at present people are not allowed to to acquire and use any software they like ? Such a possibility might be imagined - for e.g., the govt, or corporate policy might dictate - "Free software only, no commercial software" or "OSI/FSF approved software only" or "No GPL/LGPL licensed software - Apache, etc are OK".
Perhaps, it is this meaning that should be higlighted on Software Freedom Day in future, so that it may be celebrated by one and all in a spirit of brotherhood. Recognising the freedom to use any software we like would also mean that all have a chance to be treated alike, and no person would be criticised for his individual choice of software.
Do you mean to say "We should ensure that we Free Software / Open Source Software proponents should advocate Free/Open Source software, but at the same time ensure that we are not caustic in our criticism (or perhaps even critize at all) when a user still opts for commercial software" ?
I feel this may become increasingly apparent in the days to come.
On what experiences and thoughts do you make this statement ?
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On 9/12/05, Sriram N sriramx_2000@yahoo.com wrote:
--- Ramanraj K ramanraj.k@gmail.com wrote:
It struck me that "Software Freedom" may mean several things, including the idea that people have the freedom to lawfully acquire and use any software they like.
Could you elaborate or rephrase ? Are you saying that at present people are not allowed to to acquire and use any software they like ?
"Anybody who tells me I can't use a program because it's not open source, go s**k on rms. I'm not interested. 99% of that I run tends to be open source, but that's _my_ choice, dammit."[#1]
Is that loud and clear?
Now, on to [#2]: <quote> # 2.6.<odd>: still a stable kernel, but accept bigger changes leading up to it (timeframe: a month or two). # 2.<odd>.x: aim for big changes that may destabilize the kernel for several releases (timeframe: a year or two) # <odd>.x.x: Linus went crazy, broke absolutely _everything_, and rewrote the kernel to be a microkernel using a special message-passing version of Visual Basic. (timeframe: "we expect that he will be released from the mental institution in a decade or two"). </quote>
The last line is probably a dig on HURD design more than anything else, but it is also prophetic. To break absolutely _everything_, one does not have to rewrite the kernel to be a microkernel using a special message-passing version of VB: it could be done with just a few messages in plain English
http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/08/15/2149225&from=rss reported: <quote> Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Mon Aug 15, '05 08:49 PM from the decease-and-resist dept. robyannetta writes "Australian companies providing Linux products and services may soon have to pay up to $A5000 a year to licence the operating system name (warning: Registration Required), if the patents agency IP Australia grants a trademark application it is reviewing. About 90 companies with products, services or websites containing the word "Linux" recently received letters of demand from Perth lawyer Jeremy Malcolm. Acting for user group Linux Australia Inc, he asks recipients to sign statements saying their use of the word is subject to the group's licence agreement, which has fees of $A200 to $A5000 under a successful trademark application." </quote>
It is very demoralizing hear that people have been asked to pay licence fees for using the mere name of GPLed software, particularly when Linux has been used as a generic name for an operating system, and to give credit to Linus, such systems were also called GNU/Linux, for nearly a decade now.
Linus has been a god figure in the free software community and he is forthright on many issues. But, if people have been asked to pay a licence fees for merely calling the operating system by its name, Linus is no different from proprietary software entities. Once free software developers and philosophers get even with traders and start sqabbling, it is easy to see they are no less commercial than others. Quote [#2] is from a new set of version naming rules that Linus Torvalds was planning recently, and the present fracas over using "Linux" itself is quite odd ;) If Linus on his own accord accepts Linux as a generic name and nips this development in its bud, we may have better Software Freedom Days ahead.
Anyway, recognising Software Freedom, makes it easier to accept licensing conditions of all hues, without getting argumentative or judgmental about whether licence A stands on a higher moral ground than licence B. Software Freedom should be about respecting the judgement of the developers and users as to the level of licensing terms they are comfortable with.
Participation by educational institutions and governments may bring in better discipline and enjoyment of Software Freedom. If any policing is required, it is with regard to fixing fair price for software packages on the basis of development costs and practices, and some statutory control may be of use.
Regardless of individual disputes over petty things, a wealth of free software is already available for public use. The GNU project started out with noble objectives, and this could be an opportunity to promote the GNU Project ideals, and spur the development efforts for HURD, which aims to be an ultimate in operating systems with no sys limits. Many people in India are taking serious interest in free software, and if Software Freedom is highlighted, it would enable people to take a deeper interest in Free Software without feeling obliged or threatended to use only Free Software. "Teach Yourself Emacs in 24 Hours book" by Jesper Pedersen devotes one hour to using Emacs in Microsoft Windows. There could be no harm, if on Software Freedom Day, as many software products and developers get invited, so that more users participate and get a chance to get their hands dirty with Free Software and savour the ultimate in Software Freedom, thorns et al.
Like it is said, feel free to write, but also feel free to ignore.
Bye :)
-Ramanraj K
Footnotes: [#1] Linus Torvalds quoted from http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/0410.3/1101.html [#2] Linus Torvalds, quoted from http://kerneltrap.org/node/4793 Regardless of individual disputes over petty things, a wealth of free software is already available for public use.
y cant those companies just change their names and be done with it? also is $A200 too much a burden for these comapnies. then they should declare bankruptcy. i think that this is like a certification for companies, much like RHCE, only that its being given by Linus. If you dont want it, change your name. As simple as that. No one is forcing you to use Open Source. No one is forcing you to stick with the old name. bring out bigger and better with a new name. or are they trying to get by using a popular brand name?
On 9/14/05, Srijit Sreekumar srijit@gmail.com wrote:
y cant those companies just change their names and be done with it? also is $A200 too much a burden for these comapnies. then they should declare bankruptcy. i think that this is like a certification for companies, much like RHCE, only that its being given by Linus. If you dont want it, change your name. As simple as that. No one is forcing you to use Open Source. No one is forcing you to stick with the old name. bring out bigger and better with a new name. or are they trying to get by using a popular brand name?
Linus is asking them to suck him: they could refuse or stoop low - who cares?
ok i admit that i dont know him as well as you do.
On 9/15/05, Ramanraj K ramanraj.k@gmail.com wrote:
On 9/14/05, Srijit Sreekumar srijit@gmail.com wrote:
y cant those companies just change their names and be done with it? also
is
$A200 too much a burden for these comapnies. then they should declare bankruptcy. i think that this is like a certification for companies,
much
like RHCE, only that its being given by Linus. If you dont want it,
change
your name. As simple as that. No one is forcing you to use Open Source.
No
one is forcing you to stick with the old name. bring out bigger and
better
with a new name. or are they trying to get by using a popular brand
name?
Linus is asking them to suck him: they could refuse or stoop low - who cares?
On 9/15/05, Srijit Sreekumar srijit@gmail.com wrote:
ok i admit that i dont know him as well as you do.
"Sneaky bastard" - Linus is that too in his own words. Get his quotes at: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Linus_Torvalds
Don't be foolish to imagine that "this is like a certification" and that others have to declare bankruptcy if they cannot afford to pay the licence fees Linus is demanding for merely using the word "Linux".
So many people have been quite openly and freely using "Linux" as part of their names for so many years now: "LinuxForYou" is a magazine devoted to publishing articles connected with GNU/Linux. There are so many user groups with "Linux" in their name, and at least one of them is registered as a Society. Probably there are other companies too. There are umpteen distros that are labelled with "Linux" or "GNU/Linux" which is the very name of the operating system. uname returns "Linux" and uname -o returns "GNU/Linux" to identify the system. "Linux" is just a generic name that people have been using in association with the GNU/Linux operating system, with as much freedom possible without paying tribute.
I am not one of them who knows Linus or even care that much about "Linux" here - but you now know about it, and so take care :)
-
Ramanraj K -
Srijit Sreekumar -
Sriram N