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www/philosophy free-software-even-more-importan...
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From: |
Pavel Kharitonov |
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Subject: |
www/philosophy free-software-even-more-importan... |
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Date: |
Wed, 06 Nov 2013 12:56:35 +0000 |
CVSROOT: /web/www
Module name: www
Changes by: Pavel Kharitonov <ineiev> 13/11/06 12:56:35
Modified files:
philosophy : free-software-even-more-important.html
Log message:
Update boilerplate texts to v1.75; validation fixes; use
“, ”, —, "nonfree" and absolute URLs; spellcheck.
CVSWeb URLs:
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.1&r2=1.2
Patches:
Index: free-software-even-more-important.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /web/www/www/philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html,v
retrieving revision 1.1
retrieving revision 1.2
diff -u -b -r1.1 -r1.2
--- free-software-even-more-important.html 6 Nov 2013 01:34:41 -0000
1.1
+++ free-software-even-more-important.html 6 Nov 2013 12:56:34 -0000
1.2
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
<!--#include virtual="/server/header.html" -->
<!-- Parent-Version: 1.75 -->
-<title>Free Software Is Even More Important Now -- Richard Stallman
-</title>
- <!--#include
virtual="/philosophy/po/is-ever-good-use-nonfree-program.translist" -->
+<title>Free Software Is Even More Important Now
+- GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title>
+<!--#include virtual="/server/gnun/initial-translations-list.html" -->
<!--#include virtual="/server/banner.html" -->
<h2>Free Software Is Even More Important Now</h2>
@@ -11,32 +11,34 @@
Stallman</strong></a></p>
<blockquote>
-A substantially edited version of this article was published in <a
-href="http://www.wired.com/opinion/2013/09/why-free-software-is-more-important-now-than-ever-before";>Wired</a>.
-</blockquote>
+<p>A substantially edited version of this article was published in <a
+href="http://www.wired.com/opinion/2013/09/why-free-software-is-more-important-now-than-ever-before";>
+Wired</a>.
+</p></blockquote>
<p>It is 30 years since the launch of the Free Software Movement which
campaigns for software to respect the users' freedom and community.
-We call such software "free" and "libre" (we use that word to
-emphasize that we're talking about freedom, not price). Some
-proprietary programs, such as Photoshop, are very expensive; others,
-such as Flash Player, are available gratis -- either way, they subject
-their users to someone else's power.</p>
+We call such software “free” and “libre” (we
+use that word to emphasize that we're talking about freedom, not
+price). Some proprietary programs, such as Photoshop, are very
+expensive; others, such as Flash Player, are available
+gratis—either way, they subject their users to someone else's
+power.</p>
<p>Much has changed since the beginning: most people, in advanced
-countries, now own computers (sometimes called "phones") and connect
-to the Internet with them. Nonfree software still makes the users
-surrender control over their computing to someone else, but now there
-is another way to lose it: Service as a Software Substitute, or SaaSS,
-which means letting someone else's server do your own computing
-activities.</p>
+countries, now own computers (sometimes called “phones”)
+and connect to the Internet with them. Nonfree software still makes
+the users surrender control over their computing to someone else, but
+now there is another way to lose it: Service as a Software Substitute,
+or SaaSS, which means letting someone else's server do your own
+computing activities.</p>
<p>Both nonfree software and SaaSS can spy on the user, shackle the user,
and even attack the user. Malware is common in services and
proprietary software products because the users don't have control
over them. That's the fundamental issue: while nonfree software and
-SaaSS are contolled by some other entity (typically a corporation or a
-state), free software is controlled by its users.</p>
+SaaSS are controlled by some other entity (typically a corporation or
+a state), free software is controlled by its users.</p>
<p>Why does this control matter? Because freedom means having control
over your own life. If you use a program to carry out activities in
@@ -45,21 +47,22 @@
so when you use them for something important in your life.</p>
<p>Your control over the program requires four
-<a href="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html";>essential freedoms</a>
+<a href="/philosophy/free-sw.html">essential freedoms</a>
If any of them is missing or inadequate, the program is proprietary
-(or "non-free").</p>
+(or “nonfree”).</p>
<p>(0) The freedom to run the program as you wish, for whatever purpose.</p>
-<p>(1) The freedom to study the program's "source code", and change it,
-so the program does your computing as you wish. Programs are written
-by programmers in a programming language -- like English combined with
-algebra -- and that form of the program is the "source code". Anyone
-who knows programming, and has the program in source code form, can
-read the source code, understand its functioning, and change it too.
-When all you get is the executable form, a series of numbers that are
-efficient for the computer to run but extremely hard for a human being
-to understand, understanding and changing the program in that form are
+<p>(1) The freedom to study the program's “source code”,
+and change it, so the program does your computing as you wish.
+Programs are written by programmers in a programming
+language—like English combined with algebra—and that form
+of the program is the “source code”. Anyone who knows
+programming, and has the program in source code form, can read the
+source code, understand its functioning, and change it too. When all
+you get is the executable form, a series of numbers that are efficient
+for the computer to run but extremely hard for a human being to
+understand, understanding and changing the program in that form are
forbiddingly hard.</p>
<p>(2) The freedom to make and distribute exact copies when you wish.
@@ -67,8 +70,8 @@
is free, that doesn't mean someone has an obligation to offer you a
copy, or that you have an obligation to offer him a copy.
Distributing a program to users without freedom mistreats them;
-however, choosing not to distribute the program -- using it privately
--- does not mistreat anyone.)</p>
+however, choosing not to distribute the program—using it
+privately—does not mistreat anyone.)</p>
<p>(3) The freedom to make and distribute copies of your modified
versions, when you wish.</p>
@@ -100,25 +103,26 @@
<p>If the users don't control the program, the program controls the
users. With proprietary software, there is always some entity, the
-"owner" of the program, that controls the program -- and through it,
-exercises power over its users. A non-free program is a yoke, an
-instrument of unjust power.</p>
-
-<p>In extreme cases (though this extreme has become widespread)
-<a href="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/proprietary.html"proprietary programs">
-are designed to spy on the users, restrict them, censor them, and abuse
them.</a>
-For instance, the operating system of Apple iThings does all of these, and so
does
-Windows on mobile devices with ARM chips. Windows, mobile phone
-firmware, and Google Chrome for Windows include a universal back door
-that allows some company to change the program remotely without asking
-permission. The Amazon Kindle has a back door that can erase books.</p>
-
-<p>With the goal of ending the injustice of non-free software, the free
-software movement develops free programs so users can free
-themselves. We began in 1984 by developing the free operating system
-<a href="http://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html";>GNU.</a> Today,
-millions of computers run GNU, mainly in the
-<a href="http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html";>GNU/Linux
combination</a>.</p>
+“owner” of the program, that controls the
+program—and through it, exercises power over its users. A
+nonfree program is a yoke, an instrument of unjust power.</p>
+
+<p>In extreme cases (though this extreme has become widespread) <a
+href="/philosophy/proprietary.html">proprietary programs are designed
+to spy on the users, restrict them, censor them, and abuse them</a>.
+For instance, the operating system of Apple iThings does all of these,
+and so does Windows on mobile devices with ARM chips. Windows, mobile
+phone firmware, and Google Chrome for Windows include a universal back
+door that allows some company to change the program remotely without
+asking permission. The Amazon Kindle has a back door that can erase
+books.</p>
+
+<p>With the goal of ending the injustice of nonfree software, the free
+software movement develops free programs so users can free themselves.
+We began in 1984 by developing the free operating system <a
+href="/gnu/the-gnu-project.html">GNU</a>. Today, millions of computers
+run GNU, mainly in the <a href="/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html">GNU/Linux
+combination</a>.</p>
<p>Distributing a program to users without freedom mistreats those users;
however, choosing not to distribute the program does not mistreat
@@ -130,14 +134,14 @@
<h3>Non-Free Software and SaaSS</h3>
-<p>Non-free software was the first way for companies to take control of
+<p>Nonfree software was the first way for companies to take control of
people's computing. Nowadays, there is another way, called Service as
a Software Substitute, or SaaSS. That means letting someone else's
server do your own computing tasks.</p>
-<p>SaaSS doesn't mean the programs on the server are non-free (though they
+<p>SaaSS doesn't mean the programs on the server are nonfree (though they
often are). Rather, using SaaSS causes the same injustices as using a
-non-free program: they are two paths to the same bad place. Take the
+nonfree program: they are two paths to the same bad place. Take the
example of a SaaSS translation service: The user sends text to the
server, and the server translates it (from English to Spanish, say)
and sends the translation back to the user. Now the job of
@@ -146,8 +150,8 @@
<p>If you use SaaSS, the server operator controls your computing. It
requires entrusting all the pertinent data to the server operator,
-which will be forced to show it to the state as well --
-<a
href="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/who-does-that-server-really-serve.html";>who
+which will be forced to show it to the state as well—<a
+href="/philosophy/who-does-that-server-really-serve.html">who
does that server really serve, after all?</a></p>
<h3>Primary And Secondary Injustices</h3>
@@ -159,18 +163,18 @@
evil to break it; to be truly upright, you should not make the promise
at all.</p>
-<p>There are cases where using non-free software puts pressure directly
+<p>There are cases where using nonfree software puts pressure directly
on others to do likewise. Skype is a clear example: when one person
-uses the non-free Skype client software, it requires another person to
-use that software too -- thus surrendering their freedoms along with
+uses the nonfree Skype client software, it requires another person to
+use that software too—thus surrendering their freedoms along with
yours. (Google Hangouts have the same problem.) It is wrong to make
such a suggestion. We should refuse to use such programs even
briefly, even on someone else's computer.</p>
-<p>Another harm of using non-free programs and SaaSS is that it rewards
+<p>Another harm of using nonfree programs and SaaSS is that it rewards
the perpetrator, encouraging further development of that program or
-"service", leading in turn to even more people falling under the
-company's thumb.</p>
+“service”, leading in turn to even more people falling
+under the company's thumb.</p>
<p>All the forms of indirect harm are magnified when the user is a
public entity or a school.</p>
@@ -190,21 +194,21 @@
service programmed and run by an entity other than the state, since
this would be SaaSS.</p>
-<p>Proprietary software has no security at all in one crucial case --
-against its developer. And the developer may help others attack.
-Microsoft shows Windows bugs to the US government digital spying
-agency, the NSA, before fixing them. (See
+<p>Proprietary software has no security at all in one crucial
+case—against its developer. And the developer may help others
+attack. Microsoft shows Windows bugs to the US government digital
+spying agency, the NSA, before fixing them. (See
<a
href="http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/06/nsa-gets-early-access-to-zero-day-data-from-microsoft-others/";>
http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/06/nsa-gets-early-access-to-zero-day-data-from-microsoft-others/</a>).
We do not know whether Apple does likewise, but it is under the same
government pressure as Microsoft.</p>
-<p>Thus, if the government of any other
-country uses such software, it endangers national security. Do you
-want the NSA to break into your government's computers? See
-<a href="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/government-free-software.html";>
-http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/government-free-software.html</a> for our
-suggested policies for governments to promote free software.</p>
+<p>Thus, if the government of any other country uses such software, it
+endangers national security. Do you want the NSA to break into your
+government's computers? See <a
+href="/philosophy/government-free-software.html">
+http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/government-free-software.html</a> for
+our suggested policies for governments to promote free software.</p>
<h3>Free Software and Education</h3>
@@ -216,38 +220,39 @@
software, schools will direct society's future towards freedom, and
help talented programmers master the craft.</p>
-<p>They will also teach students the habit of cooperating, helping other
-people. Each class should have this rule: "Students, this class is a
-place where we share our knowledge. If you bring software to class,
-you may not keep it for yourself. Rather, you must share copies with
-the rest of the class -- including the program's source code, in case
-someone else wants to learn. Therefore, bringing proprietary software
-to class is not permitted except to reverse engineer it."</p>
+<p>They will also teach students the habit of cooperating, helping
+other people. Each class should have this rule: “Students, this
+class is a place where we share our knowledge. If you bring software
+to class, you may not keep it for yourself. Rather, you must share
+copies with the rest of the class—including the program's source
+code, in case someone else wants to learn. Therefore, bringing
+proprietary software to class is not permitted except to reverse
+engineer it.”</p>
<p>Proprietary developers would have us punish students who are good
enough at heart to share software and thwart those curious enough to
want to change it. This means a bad education. See
-<a href="http://www.gnu.org/education/";>http://www.gnu.org/education/</a>
+<a href="/education/">http://www.gnu.org/education/</a>
for more discussion of the use of free software in schools.</p>
-<h3>Free Software: More Than "Advantages"</h3>
+<h3>Free Software: More Than “Advantages”</h3>
-<p>I'm often asked to describe the "advantages" of free software. But the
-word "advantages" is too weak when it comes to freedom. Life without
-freedom is oppression, and that applies to computing as well as every
-other activity in our lives. We must refuse to give the
-owners of the programs or computing services control over the
-computing we do. This is the right thing to do, for selfish reasons;
-but not solely for selfish reasons.</p>
-
-<p>Freedom includes the freedom to cooperate with others. Denying people
-that freedom means keeping them divided, which is the start of a
-scheme to oppress them. In the free software community, we are very
+<p>I'm often asked to describe the “advantages” of free
+software. But the word “advantages” is too weak when it
+comes to freedom. Life without freedom is oppression, and that
+applies to computing as well as every other activity in our lives. We
+must refuse to give the owners of the programs or computing services
+control over the computing we do. This is the right thing to do, for
+selfish reasons; but not solely for selfish reasons.</p>
+
+<p>Freedom includes the freedom to cooperate with others. Denying
+people that freedom means keeping them divided, which is the start of
+a scheme to oppress them. In the free software community, we are very
much aware of the importance of the freedom to cooperate because our
work consists of organized cooperation. If your friend comes to visit
and sees you use a program, she might ask for a copy. A program which
-stops you from redistributing it, or says you're "not supposed to", is
-antisocial.</p>
+stops you from redistributing it, or says you're “not supposed
+to”, is antisocial.</p>
<p>In computing, cooperation includes redistributing exact copies of a
program to other users. It also includes distributing your changed
@@ -261,18 +266,18 @@
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
-<p>We deserve to have control of our own computing; how can we win this
-control? By rejecting non-free software on the computers we own or
-regularly use, and rejecting SaaSS. By
-<a href="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-recommendations.html";>
-developing free software</a> (for those of us who are programmers) By
-refusing to develop or promote non-free software or SaaSS. By
-<a href="http://www.gnu.org/help";>spreading these ideas to others</a>.</p>
-
-<p>We and thousands of users have done this since 1984, which is how we
-now have the free GNU/Linux operating system that anyone -- programmer
-or not -- can use. Join our cause, as a programmer or an activist.
-Let's make all computer users free.</p>
+<p>We deserve to have control of our own computing; how can we win
+this control? By rejecting nonfree software on the computers we own
+or regularly use, and rejecting SaaSS. By <a
+href="/licenses/license-recommendations.html"> developing free
+software</a> (for those of us who are programmers) By refusing to
+develop or promote nonfree software or SaaSS. By <a
+href="/help">spreading these ideas to others</a>.</p>
+
+<p>We and thousands of users have done this since 1984, which is how
+we now have the free GNU/Linux operating system that
+anyone—programmer or not—can use. Join our cause, as a
+programmer or an activist. Let's make all computer users free.</p>
</div><!-- for id="content", starts in the include above -->
<!--#include virtual="/server/footer.html" -->
@@ -329,7 +334,7 @@
<p>Updated:
<!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2013/11/06 01:34:41 $
+$Date: 2013/11/06 12:56:34 $
<!-- timestamp end -->
</p>
</div>