Richard Stallman - Negative Consequences

http://www.MasterNewMedia.org Robin Good interviews Richard Stallman

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• robin
• good
• robingood
• richard
• stallman
• free
• software
• foundation
• gnu
• linux
• copyleft
• open
• source
• opensource
• drm
• interview

[orladin]

I don't mind proprietary software as long as the developer doesn't decide to nix crap that users will love just because something else will make them more money.

Perfect example of this is the app store/itunes. F you apple. Apple is more evil than Microsoft sometimes. Why should Steve Jobbs decide what programs I can/can't have on my phone/computer?

And why should Bill Gates feed me this windows mail, outlook express, microsoft office for $150/vista for $200 garbage? EFF YOU BILL

[ecumsecumjanet]

This is a perfectly viable observation NOW.

Once upon a time, hardly anyone could READ--we needed teachers to educate us on how to access information.

[How much power do the teachers have NOW?]

We are in a transforming era--and things are changing as we are being re-educated more quickly in SOME areas, while remaining atrociously ignorant in others.

The biggest difference is that it has become a commercial skill/knowledge--but I don't remember many people saying books should be free.

[5yn74x]

When he says `The Users' he really means the programmers who did not write the software. He is coming from a culture where every user of computers could make at least basic modifications to programs.

Of course, the advantages are still valid: if the need arises to make the change in the program, the actual end-user (if it is a company) can always sponsor coders to implement it. If it's not a company but just a large group of end-users who want a change, a coder will make it sooner or later.

[xixaq]

Well, it isn't really true in practice that open source grants power to the users. Because users don't have the power to read code of fix it. Users don't hack. Hackers do. Users use. What OSS and free software does, in practice, is to enable companies -- commercial companies, or a company of friends -- to create alternatives for the users to choose from. That's what's great about free software and open source.

[ubervegeta]

Right on - freedom starts with contribution. Does it ever strike anyone that Microsoft and Apple seem a bit... "toddler"ish?

[Dagibit]

Exactly. Open source software is the only reason companies like Microsoft have even begun REALLY trying to improve and giving their customers what they want. Too bad they're still failing.

[josevillacreses]

This is the real important thing. Power must reside in the people, not in companies. Not just in software but in every field of life. That would be the way to ensure things are done for making a better environment for the people. The world we have now has to serve companies.