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www/philosophy who-does-that-server-really-serv...
|
From: |
Yavor Doganov |
|
Subject: |
www/philosophy who-does-that-server-really-serv... |
|
Date: |
Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:34:55 +0000 |
CVSROOT: /web/www
Module name: www
Changes by: Yavor Doganov <yavor> 10/03/22 14:34:55
Modified files:
philosophy : who-does-that-server-really-serve.html
Log message:
Add translation-list as translations are imminent. Refill paragraphs.
CVSWeb URLs:
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/philosophy/who-does-that-server-really-serve.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.4&r2=1.5
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 1.4
retrieving revision 1.5
diff -u -b -r1.4 -r1.5
--- who-does-that-server-really-serve.html 21 Mar 2010 01:05:34 -0000
1.4
+++ who-does-that-server-really-serve.html 22 Mar 2010 14:34:46 -0000
1.5
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
lose your freedom. Software as a Service is another way to let
someone else have power over your computing.</strong></p>
- <h3>Background: How Proprietary Software Takes Away Your Freedom</h3>
+<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
@@ -24,28 +24,29 @@
(DRM)</a> (referred to as “Digital Rights Management” 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
-href="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html";> free software
+<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 href="/philosophy/free-sw.html">free software
definition</a>.)</p>
-<p>With free software, we, the users, take back control of our computing.
-Proprietary software still exists, but we can exclude it from our
-lives and many of us have done so. However, we now face a new threat
-to our control over our computing: Software as a Service. For our
-freedom's sake, we have to reject that too.</p>
+<p>With free software, we, the users, take back control of our
+computing. Proprietary software still exists, but we can exclude it
+from our lives and many of us have done so. However, we now face a
+new threat to our control over our computing: Software as a Service.
+For our freedom's sake, we have to reject that too.</p>
- <h3>How Software as a Service Takes Away Your Freedom</h3>
+<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>
+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>
<p>These servers wrest control from the users even more inexorably
than proprietary software. With proprietary software, users typically
@@ -84,32 +85,33 @@
Animal Farm which people had purchased from Amazon.</p>
<p>SaaS inherently gives the server operator the power to change the
-software in use, or the users' data being operated on. Once again,
-no special code is needed to do this.</p>
+software in use, or the users' data being operated on. Once again, no
+special code is needed to do this.</p>
-<p>Thus, SaaS is equivalent to total spyware and a gaping wide back door,
-and gives the server operator unjust power over the user. We can't
-accept that.</p>
+<p>Thus, SaaS is equivalent to total spyware and a gaping wide back
+door, and gives the server operator unjust power over the user. We
+can't accept that.</p>
- <h3>Untangling the SaaS Issue from the Proprietary Software Issue</h3>
+<h3>Untangling the SaaS Issue from the Proprietary Software Issue</h3>
<p>SaaS and proprietary software lead to similar harmful results, but
the causal mechanisms are different. With proprietary software, the
cause is that you have and use a copy which is difficult or illegal to
-change. With SaaS, the cause is that you use a copy you don't have.</p>
+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
+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
-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
-the server software itself.</p>
+programs temporarily into your browser without informing
+you. <a href="/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 the
+server software itself.</p>
-<p>Many free software supporters assume that the problem of SaaS will be
-solved by developing free software for servers. For the server
+<p>Many free software supporters assume that the problem of SaaS will
+be solved by developing free software for servers. For the server
operator's sake, the programs on the server had better be free; if
they are proprietary, their owners have power over the server. That's
unfair to the operator, and doesn't help you at all. But if the
@@ -117,34 +119,35 @@
server's user</em> from the effects of SaaS. They give freedom to the
operator, but not to you.</p>
-<p>Releasing the server software source code does benefit the community:
-suitably skilled users can set up similar servers, perhaps changing
-the software. But none of these servers would give you control over
-computing you do on it, unless it's <em>your</em> server. The rest
-would all be SaaS. SaaS always subjects you to the power of the
-server operator, and the only remedy is, <em>don't use SaaS</em>!
-Don't use someone else's server to do your own computing on your data.</p>
+<p>Releasing the server software source code does benefit the
+community: suitably skilled users can set up similar servers, perhaps
+changing the software. But none of these servers would give you
+control over computing you do on it, unless it's <em>your</em> server.
+The rest would all be SaaS. SaaS always subjects you to the power of
+the server operator, and the only remedy is, <em>don't use SaaS</em>!
+Don't use someone else's server to do your own computing on your
+data.</p>
- <h3>Distinguishing SaaS from Other Network Services</h3>
+<h3>Distinguishing SaaS from Other Network Services</h3>
-<p>Does condemning SaaS mean rejecting all network server? Not at all.
-Most servers do not raise this issue, because the job you do
+<p>Does condemning SaaS mean rejecting all network server? Not at
+all. Most servers do not raise this issue, because the job you do
with them isn't your own computing except in a trivial sense.</p>
-<p>The original purpose of web servers wasn't to do computing for you, it
-was to publish information for you to access. Even today this is what
-most web sites do, and it doesn't pose the SaaS problem, because
+<p>The original purpose of web servers wasn't to do computing for you,
+it was to publish information for you to access. Even today this is
+what most web sites do, and it doesn't pose the SaaS problem, because
accessing someone's published information isn't a matter of doing your
own computing. Neither is publishing your own materials via a blog
site or a micro-blogging service such as Twitter. The same goes for
communication not meant to be private, such as chat groups. Social
networking can extend into SaaS; however, at root it is just a method
-of communication and publication, not SaaS. If you use the service for
-minor editing of what you're going to communicate, that is not a
+of communication and publication, not SaaS. If you use the service
+for minor editing of what you're going to communicate, that is not a
significant issue.</p>
-<p>Services such as search engines collect data and let you examine it.
-Looking through their data isn't your own computing in the usual
+<p>Services such as search engines collect data and let you examine
+it. Looking through their data isn't your own computing in the usual
sense, so these services are not SaaS.</p>
<p>E-commerce is not SaaS, because the computing isn't solely yours;
@@ -153,28 +156,28 @@
computing. The real issue in E-commerce is whether you trust the
other party with your money and personal information.</p>
-<p>Using a joint project's servers isn't SaaS because the computing you
-do in this way isn't yours personally. For instance, if you edit
+<p>Using a joint project's servers isn't SaaS because the computing
+you do in this way isn't yours personally. For instance, if you edit
pages on Wikipedia, you are not doing your own computing; rather, you
are collaborating in Wikipedia's computing.</p>
-<p>Wikipedia controls its own servers, but groups can face the problem of
-SaaS if they do their group activities on someone else's server.
+<p>Wikipedia controls its own servers, but groups can face the problem
+of SaaS if they do their group activities on someone else's server.
Fortunately, development hosting sites such as Savannah and
Sourceforge don't pose the SaaS problem, because what groups do there
is mainly publication and public communication, rather than their own
private computing.</p>
-<p>Multiplayer games are a group activity carried out on someone else's
-server, which makes them SaaS. But where the data involved is just
-the state of play and the score, the worst wrong the operator might
-commit is favoritism. You might well ignore that risk, since it seems
-unlikely and very little is at stake. On the other hand, when the
-game becomes more than just a game, the issue changes.</p>
-
-<p>Which online services are SaaS? Google Docs is a clear example. Its
-basic activity is editing, and Google encourages people to use it for
-their own editing; this is SaaS. It offers the added feature of
+<p>Multiplayer games are a group activity carried out on someone
+else's server, which makes them SaaS. But where the data involved is
+just the state of play and the score, the worst wrong the operator
+might commit is favoritism. You might well ignore that risk, since it
+seems unlikely and very little is at stake. On the other hand, when
+the game becomes more than just a game, the issue changes.</p>
+
+<p>Which online services are SaaS? Google Docs is a clear example.
+Its basic activity is editing, and Google encourages people to use it
+for their own editing; this is SaaS. It offers the added feature of
collaborative editing. but adding participants doesn't alter the fact
that editing on the server is SaaS. (In addition, Google Docs is
unacceptable because it installs a large nonfree JavaScript program
@@ -190,11 +193,11 @@
distributing photos, which is not SaaS, but it also has features for
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>
+<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>
<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
@@ -203,23 +206,24 @@
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.
-The term only lends itself to uselessly broad statements.</p>
+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. 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>
+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>
- <h3>Dealing with the SaaS Problem</h3>
+<h3>Dealing with the SaaS Problem</h3>
-<p>Only a small fraction of all web sites do SaaS; most don't raise the
-issue. But what should we do about the ones that raise it?</p>
+<p>Only a small fraction of all web sites do SaaS; most don't raise
+the issue. But what should we do about the ones that raise it?</p>
<p>For the simple case, where you are doing your own computing on your
own data, the solution is simple: use your own copy of a free software
@@ -227,37 +231,36 @@
editor such as GNU Emacs or a free word processor. Do your photo
editing with your copy of free software such as GIMP.</p>
-<p>But what about collaborating with other individuals? It may be hard
-to do this at present without using a server. If you use one, don't
-trust a server run by a company. A mere contract as a customer is no
-protection unless you could detect a breach and could really sue, and
-the company probably writes its contracts to permit a broad range of
-abuses. Police can subpoena your data from the company with less
-basis than required to subpoena them from you, supposing the company
-doesn't volunteer them like the US phone companies that illegally
-wiretapped their customers for Bush. If you must use a server, use a
-server whose operators give you a basis for trust beyond a mere
-commercial relationship.</p>
-
-<p>However, on a longer time scale, we can create alternatives to using
-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>But what about collaborating with other individuals? It may be
+hard to do this at present without using a server. If you use one,
+don't trust a server run by a company. A mere contract as a customer
+is no protection unless you could detect a breach and could really
+sue, and the company probably writes its contracts to permit a broad
+range of abuses. Police can subpoena your data from the company with
+less basis than required to subpoena them from you, supposing the
+company doesn't volunteer them like the US phone companies that
+illegally wiretapped their customers for Bush. If you must use a
+server, use a server whose operators give you a basis for trust beyond
+a mere commercial relationship.</p>
+
+<p>However, on a longer time scale, we can create alternatives to
+using 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="/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="/">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>
+computer and keep your data there. Do your work with your own copy of
+a free program, for your freedom's sake.</p>
</div>
@@ -266,9 +269,8 @@
<div id="footer">
<p>
Please send FSF & GNU inquiries to
-<a href="mailto:address@hidden";><address@hidden></a>.
-There are also <a href="/contact/">other ways to contact</a>
-the FSF.
+<a href="mailto:address@hidden";><address@hidden></a>. There are
+also <a href="/contact/">other ways to contact</a> the FSF.
<br />
Please send broken links and other corrections or suggestions to
<a href="mailto:address@hidden";><address@hidden></a>.
@@ -280,18 +282,36 @@
in any medium, provided this notice is preserved.
</p>
-<p>
-Updated:
+<p>Updated:
<!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2010/03/21 01:05:34 $
+$Date: 2010/03/22 14:34:46 $
<!-- timestamp end -->
</p>
</div>
-<!-- All pages on the GNU web server should have the section about -->
-<!-- verbatim copying. Please do NOT remove this without talking -->
-<!-- with the webmasters first. -->
-<!-- Please make sure the copyright date is consistent with the document -->
-<!-- and that it is like this "2001, 2002" not this "2001-2002." -->
+
+<div id="translations">
+<h4>Translations of this page</h4>
+
+<!-- Please keep this list alphabetical by language code.
+ Comment what the language is for each type, i.e. de is German.
+ Write the language name in its own language (Deutsch) in the text.
+ If you add a new language here, please
+ advise address@hidden and add it to
+ - /home/www/html/server/standards/README.translations.html
+ - one of the lists under the section "Translations Underway"
+ - if there is a translation team, you also have to add an alias
+ to mail.gnu.org:/com/mailer/aliases
+ Please also check you have the language code right; see:
+ http://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/php/code_list.php
+ If the 2-letter ISO 639-1 code is not available,
+ use the 3-letter ISO 639-2.
+ Please use W3C normative character entities. -->
+
+<ul class="translations-list">
+<!-- English -->
+<li><a
href="/philosophy/who-does-that-server-really-serve.html">English</a> [en]</li>
+</ul>
+</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>
- www/philosophy who-does-that-server-really-serv..., Matt Lee, 2010/03/20
- www/philosophy who-does-that-server-really-serv..., Matt Lee, 2010/03/20
- www/philosophy who-does-that-server-really-serv..., Matt Lee, 2010/03/20
- www/philosophy who-does-that-server-really-serv..., Karl Berry, 2010/03/20
- www/philosophy who-does-that-server-really-serv..., Yavor Doganov, 2010/03/22
- www/philosophy who-does-that-server-really-serv...,
Yavor Doganov <=
- www/philosophy who-does-that-server-really-serv..., Richard M. Stallman, 2010/03/22
- www/philosophy who-does-that-server-really-serv..., Richard M. Stallman, 2010/03/22
- www/philosophy who-does-that-server-really-serv..., Richard M. Stallman, 2010/03/23
- www/philosophy who-does-that-server-really-serv..., Yavor Doganov, 2010/03/24
- www/philosophy who-does-that-server-really-serv..., Richard M. Stallman, 2010/03/24