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[Savannah-register-public] [task #11408] Submission of Free Reservation


From: Bernhard Fastenrath
Subject: [Savannah-register-public] [task #11408] Submission of Free Reservation System
Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2011 13:39:26 +0000
User-agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:2.0.1) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/4.0.1

Follow-up Comment #6, task #11408 (project administration):

> GNU Savannah mission is to advance free software. We don't support
> open source because it misses the point of free software
> (http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html).
> That's also mentioned in our hosting requirements. Please read
> http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html#Closed too.

Ok.

> A reference to the ethics of open source as something to follow
> backfires on our mission. Couldn't you please refer instead to the
> free software philosophy (http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/)?.

It would not make sense anymore.
(The two references are of different type; my reference is a course.)

>> but is there a need for a free high level reservation system?
>
> Ask yourself if there is a need for an high level reservation system.
> I don't know, but if there is, then it ought to be free software.
>
>> I think closed-source competitors wouldn't like it [...]
>
> A business based on deprivation of user freedom is inmoral. We don't
> want it to continue that way. His owner could switch to a business
> model based on free software and benefit from other free alternatives
> rather than complain of a "competence".

Wouldn't consequently all governments in the developed world that
employ artifical scarcity be evil? To me artifical scarcity appears
to be a fundamental aspect of contemporary society.

Is Expedia immoral? They aren't publishing their source code either.
Then you would require a free software alternative to Expedia.
I'm just not convinced that this is actually your position.

If that is your position then please roll your own foursquare:
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/roll_your_own_foursquare_ushahidi_launches_open-so.php

I'd be glad to help as programmer and system administrator.
It could also be connected to Wikipedia and/or WikiTravel.

> We will happily host a project for the development of a free
> reservation system. Maybe it's understood without saying than you're
> not obligated to develop it to the same technical level as existing
> proprietary systems. However, we shouldn't negate nor discourage the
> possibility for anybody else to continue it. Could you please change
> the relevant comment in OTAConnector.java accordingly?.

I could offer to change the comment of OTAConnector to "Left as en
exercise to the reader" but as a maintainer I would recommend to
anybody trying to submit the class to fork the project.
I would link to your philosophy but you do not seem to approve of
the educational effects I'm trying to achieve.

> You can learn more about the free software philosophy from the above
> links.
>
> What's the role of OTAConnector.java?. Will FRS function properly
> without it?.

OpenTravel Alliance is a convenient industry standard that could give
you about the same access to information as Expedia.
The whole specification is open and free and everybody is free to
develop that kind of software anyway.

>> I see the further development of the system as an intellectual
>> challenge and would rather add some exercises to it than spoil the
>> educational effects.
>
> In my opinion someone looking for an intellectual challenge
> specifically related to FRS can always implement a new feature. If
> need be, they can also rewrite an existing feature. I would rather
> advance the project as much as possible because AFAIK it's meant for
> practical use and there will always be something for those hungry to
> challenge themselves. This is just a personal suggestion.

There may be people "hungry to challenge themselves" but there are also
many people who benefit from being motivated and capitalism appears to
be their predominant motivation. If my system would supply too much that
motivation would be carelessly taken away from them.
I do think that software-that-hasn't-been-written-several-times-already
is a resource that can be depleted, especially with free software.

If your aim is to make the whole knowledge sector free then you probably
should motivate people to make voluntary payments. (The payment is
voluntary but the user is kindly asked to consider making the payment,
which is a stronger motivation than asking for donations but still free.)
The FSF itself would, of course, significantly benefit from this attitude.

I have tried to motivate that thought in the chapter on
"Open source social responsibility" in
http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Open_Source_Ethics :

    The term corporate social responsibility refers to the social
responsibility
of the corporate sector. In analogy a member of the open source community
could and should demand "open source social responsibility".

    Exercise:

            What are the ends and side effects of open source software
development?
            What could and should be the responsibilies of open source
software developers?
            What are problems an open source software developer may have an
obligation to prevent altogether (possibly by planning ahead)?

    One could argue that philanthropic open source software may suffer from
the problem
that is has the potential to create business opportunities that might
otherwise not
have existed, possibly without providing any goods or services beneficial to
the more
usual recipients of charitable giving. Thus the more usual recipients of
charitable
giving (who very likely do not own a computer) may even be affected negatively
by this
kind of philanthropy through the diversion of financial resources. Even the
GNU General
Public License and other licenses that may make commercial use less profitable
do have
the potential to contribute to this effect. One could see this as a motivation
for open
source authors and users to intentionally counter this effect, for instance
with
charitable license terms (e.g. as found in the Charity Software License,
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/CSL) or a request for voluntary donations (e.g. as
found in
the vsrs reservation system, vsrs.sf.net ²).

  ²) The system my project has been forked from.

> Also, the header of HotelChain.java reads "Open Reservation System".
> Wasn't the project named "Free Reservation System"?.

Yes. That was my mistake and I will fix it. I had assumed my program
had updated all headers and alerted me of all headers where that
procedure had failed.
 
> Please update your tarball and provide further information when
> required.


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