Re: [libreplanet-discuss] Golden Rule Angle for Libre Software Advocacy

[Aaron Wolf]

On 08/12/2016 06:02 AM, Logan Streondj wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I recently gave a presentation[1] on my libreware project, and someone
> said they really liked the Golden Rule angle of reincarnating as a robot
> .
> 
> The typical example I've often read advocating for libreware is the
> car analogy, where you have access to your cars internals. This was a
> great analogy when cars didn't have loads of proprietary software
> installed -- unfortunately it is only increasing because of
> self-driving cars.
> 
> However now as we get closer to the twenty twenties, when the
> processing of a human brain should be affordable for a $1000.
> The analogy I use now is:
> 

As much as we'll be impressed by the state of tech in 10 years, we're
not going to be seeing human-brain comparable computing that soon.

> "When you reincarnate as a robot, do you want to be enslaved by
> proprietary software and hardware, or be liberated by libre software
> and hardware?"
> 

I think this is too far-fetched and abstract to be compelling to people.
First, reincarnation feels like what? Will it feel like it's me or is
that some robot who feels like me but I'm gone? Next, what will it mean
for me to have this software or not or what?

The more compelling angle is Karen Sandler's point about how she already
has an implant in her heart that runs proprietary software. And she
doesn't go far enough with concrete examples there either. I think we
need to go toward something like RMS's printer story. Something where
someone like Karen realizes that a tweak to her medical implant would
help her sleep better, but the proprietary software owner isn't
interested in letting her implement the software modification.

> Anyways wondering what you guys think of this angle,
> and if you might use it also.
> I have more detailed slides in my presentation[1].
> 
> 
> [1] my presentation SPEL and GI-OS overview (CC-BY-SA): PDF
>  http://wyn.bot.nu/spel/src/virtual-machine/manual/presentation.pdf
>  source TEX:
> wyn.bot.nu/spel/src/virtual-machine/manual/presentation.tex
> 
>