www/philosophy malware-apple.html

[Richard M. Stallman]

CVSROOT:        /web/www
Module name:    www
Changes by:     Richard M. Stallman <rms>       14/04/22 15:35:58

Modified files:
        philosophy     : malware-apple.html 

Log message:
        Start with a definition of malware, and explain how it differs from and
        relates to nonfree software.  Delete the short explanation at the end,
        now superseded.
        
        Add basic explanation of certain terms in the list items.
        Say Apple pioneered jail systems.

CVSWeb URLs:
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/philosophy/malware-apple.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.2&r2=1.3

Patches:
Index: malware-apple.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /web/www/www/philosophy/malware-apple.html,v
retrieving revision 1.2
retrieving revision 1.3
diff -u -b -r1.2 -r1.3
--- malware-apple.html  16 Apr 2014 18:03:05 -0000      1.2
+++ malware-apple.html  22 Apr 2014 15:35:58 -0000      1.3
@@ -4,46 +4,68 @@
 - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title>
  <!--#include virtual="/philosophy/po/malware-apple.translist" -->
 <!--#include virtual="/server/banner.html" -->
-<h2>Apple's Software is Malware</h2>
+<h2>Apple's Operating Systems Are Malware</h2>
 
-<p>Here's why Apple's software is malware.</p>
+<p>
+<em>Malware</em> means software designed to function in ways that
+mistreat or harm the user.  (This does not include accidental errors.)
+This page explains how the software in Apple's computer products are
+malware.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Malware and nonfree software are two different issues.  The difference
+between <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.html">free software</a> and
+nonfree software is in
+<a href="/philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html">
+whether the users have control of the program or vice versa</a>.  It's
+not directly a question of what the program <em>does</em> when it
+runs.  However, in practice nonfree software is often malware,
+because the developer's awareness that the users would be powerless to fix
+any malicious functionalities tempts the developer to impose some.
+</p>
+
+<p>Here's how Apple's systems are malware.</p>
 
 <ul>
-   <li><p>The iPhone has a back door <a 
-   
href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/3358134/Apples-Jobs-confirms-iPhone-kill-switch.html";>
-   that allows Apple to remotely delete apps</a> which Apple considers 
-   &ldquo;inappropriate&rdquo;. Jobs said it's OK for Apple to have this power 
-   because of course we can trust Apple.</p></li>
+   <li><p><a 
href="http://boingboing.net/2010/04/02/why-i-wont-buy-an-ipad-and-think-yo.html";>
+   iOS, the operating system of the Apple iThings, is a jail for
+   users.</a>  That means it imposes censorship of application progras.</p>
 
-   <li><p><a 
-   
href="http://boingboing.net/2010/04/02/why-i-wont-buy-an-ipad-and-think-yo.html";>
-   iOS, the operating system of the Apple iThings, is a jail.</a> Apple has 
-   used its power to <a 
-   href="http://boingboing.net/2014/02/07/apple-yanks-last-remaining-bit.html";>
+   <p>Apple has used this power
+   to <a 
href="http://boingboing.net/2014/02/07/apple-yanks-last-remaining-bit.html";>
    censor all bitcoin apps</a> for the iThings.</p>
 
+   <p>Apple, in the iThings, pioneered the practice of general purpose
+   computers that are jails, and the term comes from iThing users, who
+   referred to escaping from the censorship as
+   &ldquo;jailbreaking.&rdquo;</p>
+
    <p>Here is an article about the <a 
    href="http://weblog.rogueamoeba.com/2008/03/07/code-signing-and-you/";> 
-   code signing</a> that the iThings use to lock up the user.</p></li>
+   code signing</a> that the iThings use to jail the user.</p></li>
 
-   <li><p>The Apple iThings are tyrant devices. There is a port of Android
-   to the iThings, but installing it requires <a 
-   href="http://www.idroidproject.org/wiki/Status";> finding a bug or 
-   &ldquo;exploit&rdquo;</a> to make it possible to install a different 
-   system.</p></li>
+   <li><p>The iThings are tyrant devices: they do not permit
+   installing a different or modified operating system.  There is a
+   port of Android to the iThings, but installing it
+   requires <a href="http://www.idroidproject.org/wiki/Status";>
+   finding a bug or &ldquo;exploit&rdquo;</a> to make it possible to
+   install a different system.</p></li>
 
    <li><p><a 
    
href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/11/apple-downgrades-macbook-video-drm";>
-   DRM in MacOS</a>. This article focuses on the fact that a new model of 
+   DRM (digital restrictions mechanisms) in MacOS</a>. This article focuses on 
the fact that a new model of 
    Macbook introduced a requirement for monitors to have malicious 
    hardware, but DRM software in MacOS is involved in activating the 
    hardware. The software for accessing iTunes is also responsible.</p></li>
-</ul>
 
-<p>These malicious aspects should be no surprise. This is proprietary 
-software, and it is quite common for a proprietary program to be malware.
-Only <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.html">free software</a> respects users' 
-freedom and community.</p>
+   <li><p>The iPhone has a back door <a 
+   
href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/3358134/Apples-Jobs-confirms-iPhone-kill-switch.html";>
+   that allows Apple to remotely delete apps</a> which Apple considers 
+   &ldquo;inappropriate&rdquo;. Jobs said it's OK for Apple to have this power 
+   because of course we can trust Apple.</p></li>
+
+</ul>
 
 </div><!-- for id="content", starts in the include above -->
 
@@ -103,7 +125,7 @@
 
 <p class="unprintable">Updated:
 <!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2014/04/16 18:03:05 $
+$Date: 2014/04/22 15:35:58 $
 <!-- timestamp end -->
 </p>
 </div>