www/philosophy who-does-that-server-really-serv...

[Karl Berry]

CVSROOT:        /web/www
Module name:    www
Changes by:     Karl Berry <karl>       10/03/21 01:05:42

Modified files:
        philosophy     : who-does-that-server-really-serve.html 

Log message:
        entities

CVSWeb URLs:
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/philosophy/who-does-that-server-really-serve.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.3&r2=1.4

Patches:
Index: who-does-that-server-really-serve.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /web/www/www/philosophy/who-does-that-server-really-serve.html,v
retrieving revision 1.3
retrieving revision 1.4
diff -u -b -r1.3 -r1.4
--- who-does-that-server-really-serve.html      20 Mar 2010 20:42:51 -0000      
1.3
+++ who-does-that-server-really-serve.html      21 Mar 2010 01:05:34 -0000      
1.4
@@ -14,22 +14,22 @@
 
    <h3>Background: How Proprietary Software Takes Away Your Freedom</h3>
 
-<p>Digital technology can give you freedom; it can also take your freedom
-away.  The first threat to our control over our computing came from
-<em>proprietary software</em>: software that the users cannot control
-because the owner (a company such as Apple or Microsoft) controls it.
-The owner often takes advantage of this unjust power by inserting
-malicious features such as spyware, back doors, and <a
+<p>Digital technology can give you freedom; it can also take your
+freedom away.  The first threat to our control over our computing came
+from <em>proprietary software</em>: software that the users cannot
+control because the owner (a company such as Apple or Microsoft)
+controls it.  The owner often takes advantage of this unjust power by
+inserting malicious features such as spyware, back doors, and <a
 href="http://DefectiveByDesign.org";>Digital Restrictions Management
-(DRM)</a> (referred to as "Digital Rights Management" in their
-propaganda).</p>
+(DRM)</a> (referred to as &ldquo;Digital Rights Management&rdquo; in
+their propaganda).</p>
 
 <p>Our solution to this problem is developing <em>free software</em> and
 rejecting proprietary software.  Free software means that you, as a
-user, have four essential freedoms: (0) to run the program as you
-wish, (1) to study and change the source code so it does what you
-wish, (2) to redistribute exact copies, and (3) to redistribute copies
-of your modified versions.  (See the <a
+user, have four essential freedoms: (0)&nbsp;to run the program as you
+wish, (1)&nbsp;to study and change the source code so it does what you
+wish, (2)&nbsp;to redistribute exact copies, and (3)&nbsp;to
+redistribute copies of your modified versions.  (See the <a
 href="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html";> free software
 definition</a>.)</p>
 
@@ -42,11 +42,10 @@
    <h3>How Software as a Service Takes Away Your Freedom</h3>
 
 <p>Software as a Service (SaaS) means that someone sets up a network
-server that does certain computing tasks -- 
-running spreadsheets, word processing, translating
-text into another language, etc. -- then invites users to do their computing
-on that server.  Users must send their data to the server, which returns
-the results.</p>
+server that does certain computing tasks&mdash;running spreadsheets,
+word processing, translating text into another language, etc.&mdash;then
+invites users to do their computing on that server.  Users must send
+their data to the server, which returns the results.</p>
 
 <p>These servers wrest control from the users even more inexorably
 than proprietary software.  With proprietary software, users typically
@@ -60,12 +59,12 @@
 to change it.</p>
 
 <p>Furthermore, SaaS automatically leads to harmful consequences
-equivalent to the malicious features of certain proprietary software.  For
-instance, some proprietary programs are "spyware": the
+equivalent to the malicious features of certain proprietary software.
+For instance, some proprietary programs are &ldquo;spyware&rdquo;: the
 program sends data about users' computing activities to the program's
 owner.  Microsoft Windows sends information about users' activities to
-Microsoft.  Windows Media Player and RealPlayer report what 
-user watches or listens to.</p>
+Microsoft.  Windows Media Player and RealPlayer report what user watches
+or listens to.</p>
 
 <p>Unlike proprietary software, SaaS does not require covert code to
 obtain the user's data.  By the very nature of SaaS, users must send
@@ -100,10 +99,10 @@
 change.  With SaaS, the cause is that you use a copy you don't have.</p>
 
 <p>These two issues are often confused, and not only by accident.  Web
-developers use the vague term "web application" to lump the server
-software together with programs run on your machine in your browser.
-Some web pages install nontrivial or even large JavaScript programs
-temporarily into your browser without informing you.  <a
+developers use the vague term &ldquo;web application&rdquo; to lump the
+server software together with programs run on your machine in your
+browser.  Some web pages install nontrivial or even large JavaScript
+programs temporarily into your browser without informing you.  <a
 href="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html";> When these
 JavaScript programs are nonfree</a>, they are as bad as any other
 nonfree software.  Here, however, we are concerned with the problem of
@@ -192,9 +191,10 @@
 editing photos, which is SaaS.</p>
 
 <p>Some sites whose main service is publication and communication extend
-it with "contact management": keeping track of people you have
-relationships with.  Sending mail to those people for you is not SaaS,
-but keeping track of your dealings with them, if substantial, is SaaS.</p>
+it with &ldquo;contact management&rdquo;: keeping track of people you
+have relationships with.  Sending mail to those people for you is not
+SaaS, but keeping track of your dealings with them, if substantial, is
+SaaS.</p>
 
 <p>If a service is not SaaS, that does not mean it is ok.  There are
 other bad things a service can do.  For instance, Facebook distributes
@@ -202,18 +202,19 @@
 gives users a misleading impression of privacy.  Those are important
 issues too, but this article's concern is the issue of SaaS.</p>
 
-<p>The IT industry discourages users from considering these distinctions.
-That's what the buzzword "cloud computing" is for.  This
-term is so nebulous that it could refer to almost any use of the
-Internet.  It includes SaaS and it includes nearly everything else.
+<p>The IT industry discourages users from considering these
+distinctions.  That's what the buzzword &ldquo;cloud computing&rdquo; is
+for.  This term is so nebulous that it could refer to almost any use of
+the Internet.  It includes SaaS and it includes nearly everything else.
 The term only lends itself to uselessly broad statements.</p>
 
-<p>The real meaning of "cloud computing" is to suggest a devil-may-care
-approach towards your computing.  It says, "Don't ask questions, just
-trust every business without hesitation.  Don't worry about who
-controls your computing or who holds your data.  Don't check for a
-hook hidden inside our service before you swallow it."  In other
-words, "Think like a sucker."  I prefer to avoid the term.</p>
+<p>The real meaning of &ldquo;cloud computing&rdquo; is to suggest a
+devil-may-care approach towards your computing.  It says, &ldquo;Don't
+ask questions, just trust every business without hesitation.  Don't
+worry about who controls your computing or who holds your data.  Don't
+check for a hook hidden inside our service before you swallow it.&rdquo;
+In other words, &ldquo;Think like a sucker.&rdquo; I prefer to avoid the
+term.</p>
 
    <h3>Dealing with the SaaS Problem</h3>
 
@@ -242,20 +243,21 @@
 servers.  For instance, we can create a distributed program through
 which collaborators can share data encrypted.  The free software
 community should develop distributed peer-to-peer replacements for
-important "web applications".  It may be wise to release them under
-the <a href="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/why-affero-gpl.html";>
-GNU Affero GPL</a>, since they are likely candidates for being
-converted into server-based programs by someone else.  The <a
-href="http://www.gnu.org";>GNU project </a> is looking for volunteers
-to work on such replacements.  We also invite other free software
-projects to consider this issue in their design.</p>
-
-<p>In the meantime, if a company invites you to use its server to do your
-own computing tasks, don't yield; don't use SaaS.  Don't buy or
-install "thin clients", which are simply computers so weak they make
-you do the real work on someone else's server.  Use a real computer
-and keep your data there.  Do your work with your own copy of a free
-program, for your freedom's sake.</p>
+important &ldquo;web applications&rdquo;.  It may be wise to release
+them under the <a
+href="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/why-affero-gpl.html";> GNU Affero
+GPL</a>, since they are likely candidates for being converted into
+server-based programs by someone else.  The <a
+href="http://www.gnu.org";>GNU project </a> is looking for volunteers to
+work on such replacements.  We also invite other free software projects
+to consider this issue in their design.</p>
+
+<p>In the meantime, if a company invites you to use its server to do
+your own computing tasks, don't yield; don't use SaaS.  Don't buy or
+install &ldquo;thin clients&rdquo;, which are simply computers so weak
+they make you do the real work on someone else's server.  Use a real
+computer and keep your data there.  Do your work with your own copy of a
+free program, for your freedom's sake.</p>
 
 </div>
 
@@ -272,7 +274,7 @@
 <a href="mailto:address@hidden";>&lt;address@hidden&gt;</a>.
 </p>
 
-<p>Copyright &copy; 2007 Richard Stallman
+<p>Copyright &copy; 2010 Richard Stallman
 <br />
 Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted
 in any medium, provided this notice is preserved.
@@ -281,7 +283,7 @@
 <p>
 Updated:
 <!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2010/03/20 20:42:51 $
+$Date: 2010/03/21 01:05:34 $
 <!-- timestamp end -->
 </p>
 </div>