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trans-coord/gnun/philosophy can-you-trust.html ...
|
From: |
Yavor Doganov |
|
Subject: |
trans-coord/gnun/philosophy can-you-trust.html ... |
|
Date: |
Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:10:14 +0000 |
CVSROOT: /sources/trans-coord
Module name: trans-coord
Changes by: Yavor Doganov <yavor> 09/12/15 19:10:08
Modified files:
gnun/philosophy: can-you-trust.html java-trap.html
no-word-attachments.html schools.html
software-literary-patents.html
Log message:
Automatic sync from the master www repository.
CVSWeb URLs:
http://cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/trans-coord/gnun/philosophy/can-you-trust.html?cvsroot=trans-coord&r1=1.8&r2=1.9
http://cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/trans-coord/gnun/philosophy/java-trap.html?cvsroot=trans-coord&r1=1.4&r2=1.5
http://cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/trans-coord/gnun/philosophy/no-word-attachments.html?cvsroot=trans-coord&r1=1.9&r2=1.10
http://cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/trans-coord/gnun/philosophy/schools.html?cvsroot=trans-coord&r1=1.9&r2=1.10
http://cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/trans-coord/gnun/philosophy/software-literary-patents.html?cvsroot=trans-coord&r1=1.8&r2=1.9
Patches:
Index: can-you-trust.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /sources/trans-coord/trans-coord/gnun/philosophy/can-you-trust.html,v
retrieving revision 1.8
retrieving revision 1.9
diff -u -b -r1.8 -r1.9
--- can-you-trust.html 23 Sep 2009 18:10:11 -0000 1.8
+++ can-you-trust.html 15 Dec 2009 19:10:08 -0000 1.9
@@ -33,12 +33,12 @@
Windows Media Player required users to agree to new restrictions. But
Microsoft is not alone: the KaZaa music-sharing software is designed
so that KaZaa's business partner can rent out the use of your computer
-to their clients. These malicious features are often secret, but even
+to its clients. These malicious features are often secret, but even
once you know about them it is hard to remove them, since you don't
have the source code.</p>
<p>
In the past, these were isolated incidents. “Trusted
-computing” would make it pervasive. “Treacherous
+computing” would make the practice pervasive. “Treacherous
computing” is a more appropriate name, because the plan is
designed to make sure your computer will systematically disobey you.
In fact, it is designed to stop your computer from functioning as a
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@
the Internet, some capabilities will automatically cease to function.</p>
<p>
Of course, Hollywood and the record companies plan to use treacherous
-computing for “DRM” (Digital Restrictions Management), so
+computing for Digital Restrictions Management (DRM), so
that downloaded videos and music can be played only on one specified
computer. Sharing will be entirely impossible, at least using the
authorized files that you would get from those companies. You, the
@@ -103,11 +103,11 @@
instructions. Your writing would be subject to 1984-style retroactive
erasure. You might be unable to read it yourself.</p>
<p>
-You might think you can find out what nasty things a treacherous
-computing application does, study how painful they are, and decide
-whether to accept them. It would be short-sighted and foolish to
-accept, but the point is that the deal you think you are making won't
-stand still. Once you come to depend on using the program, you are
+You might think you can find out what nasty things a treacherous-computing
+application does, study how painful they are, and decide
+whether to accept them. Even if you can find this out, it would
+be foolish to accept the deal, but you can't even expect the deal
+to stand still. Once you come to depend on using the program, you are
hooked and they know it; then they can change the deal. Some
applications will automatically download upgrades that will do
something different—and they won't give you a choice about
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@
in charge of what your computer does. If a free program has a
malicious feature, other developers in the community will take it out,
and you can use the corrected version. You can also run free
-application programs and tools on non-free operating systems; this
+application programs and tools on nonfree operating systems; this
falls short of fully giving you freedom, but many users do it.</p>
<p>
Treacherous computing puts the existence of free operating systems and
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@
people often use Word format for communication, although this causes
several sorts of problems (see
<a href="/philosophy/no-word-attachments.html">“We Can Put an End to Word
-Attachments”</a>). If only a treacherous computing machine can read the
+Attachments”</a>). If only a treacherous-computing machine can read the
latest Word documents, many people will switch to it, if they view the
situation only in terms of individual action (take it or leave it). To
oppose treacherous computing, we must join together and confront the
@@ -149,25 +149,16 @@
For further information about treacherous computing, see
<a
href="http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/users/rja14/tcpa-faq.html";>http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/users/rja14/tcpa-faq.html</a>.</p>
<p>
-To block treacherous computing will require large numbers of citizens to
-organize. We need your help! The <a href="http://www.eff.org";>Electronic
-Frontier Foundation</a> and <a href="http://www.publicknowledge.org";>Public
-Knowledge</a> are campaigning against treacherous computing, and so is the
-FSF-sponsored Digital Speech Project. Please visit these Web sites so
-you can sign up to support their work.</p>
-<p>
-You can also help by writing to the public affairs offices of Intel,
-IBM, HP/Compaq, or anyone you have bought a computer from, explaining
-that you don't want to be pressured to buy “trusted”
-computing systems so you don't want them to produce any. This can
-bring consumer power to bear. If you do this on your own, please send
-copies of your letters to the organizations above.</p>
+To block treacherous computing will require large numbers of citizens
+to organize. We need your help! Please support
+<a href="http://DefectiveByDesign.org"Defective by Design</a>, the
+FSF's campaign against Digital Restrictions Management.</p>
<h3>Postscripts</h3>
<ol>
<li>The computer security field uses the term “trusted
-computing” in a different way — beware of confusion
+computing” in a different way—beware of confusion
between the two meanings.
</li>
<li>The GNU Project distributes the GNU Privacy Guard, a program that
@@ -179,21 +170,21 @@
When someone uses GPG to send you an encrypted document, and you use
GPG to decode it, the result is an unencrypted document that you can
read, forward, copy, and even re-encrypt to send it securely to
-someone else. A treacherous computing application would let you read
+someone else. A treacherous-computing application would let you read
the words on the screen, but would not let you produce an unencrypted
document that you could use in other ways. GPG, a free software
-package, makes security features available to the users; they use it.
+package, makes security features available to the users; <em>they</em> use
<em>it</em>.
Treacherous computing is designed to impose restrictions on the users;
-it uses them.</p></li>
+<em>it</em> uses <em>them</em>.</p></li>
<li>
The supporters of treacherous computing focus their discourse on its
<a name="beneficial">beneficial uses</a>. What they say is often
correct, just not important.
<p>
-Like most hardware, treacherous computing hardware can be used for
-purposes which are not harmful. But these uses can be implemented in
-other ways, without treacherous computing hardware. The principal
+Like most hardware, treacherous-computing hardware can be used for
+purposes which are not harmful. But these features can be implemented in
+other ways, without treacherous-computing hardware. The principal
difference that treacherous computing makes for users is the nasty
consequence: rigging your computer to work against you.</p>
<p>
@@ -202,23 +193,23 @@
freedom, while offering minor benefits to distract us from what we
would lose.</p></li>
-<li>Microsoft presents palladium as a security measure, and claims that
+<li>Microsoft presents Palladium as a security measure, and claims that
it will protect against viruses, but this claim is evidently false. A
presentation by Microsoft Research in October 2002 stated that one of
-the specifications of palladium is that existing operating systems and
+the specifications of Palladium is that existing operating systems and
applications will continue to run; therefore, viruses will continue to
be able to do all the things that they can do today.
<p>
-When Microsoft speaks of “security” in connection with
-palladium, they do not mean what we normally mean by that word:
+When Microsoft employees speak of “security” in connection with
+Palladium, they do not mean what we normally mean by that word:
protecting your machine from things you do not want. They mean
protecting your copies of data on your machine from access by you in
ways others do not want. A slide in the presentation listed several
-types of secrets palladium could be used to keep, including
+types of secrets Palladium could be used to keep, including
“third party secrets” and “user
secrets”—but it put “user secrets” in
quotation marks, recognizing that this somewhat of an absurdity in the
-context of palladium.</p>
+context of Palladium.</p>
<p>
The presentation made frequent use of other terms that we frequently
associate with the context of security, such as “attack”,
@@ -227,10 +218,10 @@
“Attack” doesn't mean someone trying to hurt you, it means
you trying to copy music. “Malicious code” means code
installed by you to do what someone else doesn't want your machine to
-do. “Spoofing” doesn't mean someone fooling you, it means
-you fooling palladium. And so on.</p></li>
+do. “Spoofing” doesn't mean someone's fooling you, it means
+your fooling Palladium. And so on.</p></li>
-<li>A previous statement by the palladium developers stated the basic
+<li>A previous statement by the Palladium developers stated the basic
premise that whoever developed or collected information should have
total control of how you use it. This would represent a revolutionary
overturn of past ideas of ethics and of the legal system, and create
@@ -284,7 +275,7 @@
<p>
Updated:
<!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2009/09/23 18:10:11 $
+$Date: 2009/12/15 19:10:08 $
<!-- timestamp end -->
</p>
</div>
Index: java-trap.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /sources/trans-coord/trans-coord/gnun/philosophy/java-trap.html,v
retrieving revision 1.4
retrieving revision 1.5
diff -u -b -r1.4 -r1.5
--- java-trap.html 2 Aug 2009 18:10:17 -0000 1.4
+++ java-trap.html 15 Dec 2009 19:10:08 -0000 1.5
@@ -1,19 +1,20 @@
<!--#include virtual="/server/header.html" -->
-<title>Free But Shackled - The Java Trap</title>
+<title>Free but Shackled - The Java Trap</title>
<!--#include virtual="/server/banner.html" -->
-<h2>Free But Shackled - The Java Trap</h2>
+<h2>Free but Shackled - The Java Trap</h2>
<p>by <a href="http://www.stallman.org/";>Richard Stallman</a></p>
<div class="announcement"><h3>Headnote</h3>
-<p>As of December 2006, Sun is in the middle
-of <a href="http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-welcomes-gpl-java.html";>rereleasing
-its Java platform under the GNU GPL</a>. When this license change is
-completed, we expect that Java will no longer be a trap.
-Nonetheless, the general issue described here will remain
-important, because any non-free library or programming platform can
+<p>Since this article was first published, Sun
+has <a href="http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-welcomes-gpl-java.html";>relicensed</a>
+most of its Java platform under the GNU General Public License, and
+there is now a free Java development environment. Thus, the Java
+language is no longer a trap.
+Nonetheless, the general issue described here remains
+important, because any nonfree library or programming platform can
cause a similar problem. We must learn a lesson from the history of
Java, so we can avoid other traps in the future.</p>
@@ -26,7 +27,7 @@
<p>
If your program is free software, it is basically ethical—but
there is a trap you must be on guard for. Your program, though in
- itself free, may be restricted by non-free software that it depends
+ itself free, may be restricted by nonfree software that it depends
on. Since the problem is most prominent today for Java programs, we
call it the Java Trap.
</p>
@@ -38,17 +39,17 @@
redistribute the source and binaries, and the freedom to publish
improved versions. (See
<a
href="/philosophy/free-sw.html">http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html</a>.)
- Whether any given program is free software depends solely on the
- meaning of its license.
+ Whether any given program in source form is free software depends
+ solely on the meaning of its license.
</p>
<p>
Whether the program can be used in the Free World, used by people who mean
to
live in freedom, is a more complex question. This is not determined by the
- program's own license, because no program works in isolation. Every program
+ program's own license alone, because no program works in isolation. Every
program
depends on other programs. For instance, a program needs to be compiled or
interpreted, so it depends on a compiler or interpreter. If compiled into
- byte code, it depends on a byte code interpreter. Moreover, it needs
+ byte code, it depends on a byte-code interpreter. Moreover, it needs
libraries in order to run, and it may also invoke other separate programs
that run in other processes. All of these programs are dependencies.
Dependencies may be necessary for the program to run at all, or they may
@@ -57,30 +58,30 @@
</p>
<p>
- If some of a program's dependencies are non-free, this means that
+ If some of a program's dependencies are nonfree, this means that
all or part of the program is unable to run in an entirely free
system—it is unusable in the Free World. Sure, we could
redistribute the program and have copies on our machines, but that's
not much good if it won't run. That program is free software, but it
- is effectively shackled by its non-free dependencies.
+ is effectively shackled by its nonfree dependencies.
</p>
<p>
This problem can occur in any kind of software, in any language. For
instance, a free program that only runs on Microsoft Windows is clearly
useless in the Free World. But software that runs on GNU/Linux can also be
- useless if it depends on other non-free software. In the past, Motif (before
+ useless if it depends on other nonfree software. In the past, Motif (before
we had LessTif) and Qt (before its developers made it free software) were
major causes of this problem. Most 3D video cards work fully only with
- non-free drivers, which also cause this problem. But the major source of
+ nonfree drivers, which also cause this problem. But the major source of
this problem today is Java, because people who write free software often
feel Java is sexy. Blinded by their attraction to the language, they
- overlook the issue of dependencies, and they fall into the Java Trap.
+ overlook the issue of dependencies and fall into the Java Trap.
</p>
<p>
- Sun's implementation of Java is non-free. The standard Java libraries are
- non-free also. We do have free implementations of Java, such as the <a
+ Sun's implementation of Java is nonfree. The standard Java libraries are
+ nonfree also. We do have free implementations of Java, such as the <a
href="http://gcc.gnu.org/java/";>GNU Compiler for Java</a> (GCJ) and <a
href="/software/classpath">GNU Classpath</a>, but they don't support all the
features yet. We are still catching up.
@@ -104,12 +105,12 @@
<p>
Sun continues to develop additional “standard” Java
- libraries, and nearly all of them are non-free; in many cases, even
+ libraries, and nearly all of them are nonfree; in many cases, even
a library's specification is a trade secret, and Sun's latest
license for these specifications prohibits release of anything less
than a full implementation of the specification. (See
<a
href="http://jcp.org/aboutJava/communityprocess/JSPA2.pdf";>http://jcp.org/aboutJava/communityprocess/JSPA2.pdf</a>
and
- <a
href="http://jcp.org/aboutJava/communityprocess/final/jsr129/j2me_pb-1_0-fr-spec-license.html";>http://jcp.org/aboutJava/communityprocess/final/jsr129/j2me_pb-1_0-fr-spec-license.html</a>,
+ <a
href="http://jcp.org/aboutJava/communityprocess/final/jsr129/j2me_pb-1_0-fr-spec-license.html";>http://jcp.org/aboutJava/communityprocess/final/jsr129/j2me_pb-1_0-fr-spec-license.html</a>
for examples).
</p>
@@ -119,17 +120,17 @@
allowed to change it and are not required to adhere to the specification.
But the requirement has the effect of prohibiting the use of a collaborative
development model to produce the free implementation. Use of that model
would
- entail publishing incomplete versions, which those who have read the spec
are
- not allowed to do.
+ entail publishing incomplete versions, something those who have read the
+ spec are not allowed to do.
</p>
<p>
In the early days of the Free Software Movement, it was impossible to avoid
- depending on non-free programs. Before we had the GNU C compiler, every C
- program (free or not) depended on a non-free C compiler. Before we had the
- GNU C library, every program depended on a non-free C library. Before we had
- Linux, the first free kernel, every program depended on a non-free kernel.
- Before we had Bash, every shell script had to be interpreted by a non-free
+ depending on nonfree programs. Before we had the GNU C compiler, every C
+ program (free or not) depended on a nonfree C compiler. Before we had the
+ GNU C library, every program depended on a nonfree C library. Before we had
+ Linux, the first free kernel, every program depended on a nonfree kernel.
+ Before we had Bash, every shell script had to be interpreted by a nonfree
shell. It was inevitable that our first programs would initially be hampered
by these dependencies, but we accepted this because our plan included
rescuing
them subsequently. Our overall goal, a self-hosting GNU operating system,
@@ -141,10 +142,10 @@
<p>
The situation is different today. We now have powerful free operating
systems
and many free programming tools. Whatever job you want to do, you can do it
on
- a free platform; there is no need to accept a non-free dependency even
+ a free platform; there is no need to accept a nonfree dependency even
temporarily. The main reason people fall into the trap today is because they
- are not thinking about it. The easiest solution to the problem of the Java
Trap
- is to teach people not to fall into it.
+ are not thinking about it. The easiest solution to the problem
+ is to teach people to recognize it and not fall into it.
</p>
<p>
@@ -164,7 +165,7 @@
language, we invite you to help in developing GNU Classpath. Trying your
programs with the the GCJ Compiler and GNU Classpath, and reporting any
problems you encounter in classes already implemented, is also useful.
- However, finishing GNU Classpath will take time; if more non-free libraries
+ However, finishing GNU Classpath will take time; if more nonfree libraries
continue to be added, we may never have all the latest ones. So please don't
put your free software in shackles. When you write an application program
today, write it to run on free facilities from the start.
@@ -205,7 +206,7 @@
<p>
Updated:
<!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2009/08/02 18:10:17 $
+$Date: 2009/12/15 19:10:08 $
<!-- timestamp end -->
</p>
</div>
Index: no-word-attachments.html
===================================================================
RCS file:
/sources/trans-coord/trans-coord/gnun/philosophy/no-word-attachments.html,v
retrieving revision 1.9
retrieving revision 1.10
diff -u -b -r1.9 -r1.10
--- no-word-attachments.html 2 Aug 2009 18:10:17 -0000 1.9
+++ no-word-attachments.html 15 Dec 2009 19:10:08 -0000 1.10
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
<p>
Don't you just hate receiving Word documents in email messages? Word
-attachments are annoying, but worse than that, they impede people from
+attachments are annoying, but, worse than that, they impede people from
switching to free software. Maybe we can stop this practice with a
simple collective effort. All we have to do is ask each person who
sends us a Word file to reconsider that way of doing things.</p>
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@
<p>
Many GNU users who receive Word documents try to find ways to handle
them. You can manage to find the somewhat obfuscated ASCII text in
-the file by skimming through it. Free software today can read some
+the file by skimming through it. Free software today can read most
Word documents, but not all—the format is secret and has not been
entirely decoded. Even worse, Microsoft can change it at any time.</p>
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@
event, it is natural to try to cope by finding a way to read it. But
as an instance of a pernicious systematic practice, it calls for a
different approach. Managing to read the file is treating a symptom
-of an epidemic disease. What we really want to do is stop the disease
+of an epidemic disease; what we really want to do is stop the disease
from spreading. That means we must convince people not to send or
post Word documents.</p>
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@
that would not apply to an individual's actions.</p>
<p>
-Some recruiters ask for resumes in Word format. Amazingly, some
+Some recruiters ask for resumes in Word format. Ludicrously, some
recruiters do this even when looking for someone for a free software
job. (Anyone using those recruiters for free software jobs is not
likely to get a competent employee.) To help change this practice,
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@
<p>
<em>Receiving Word documents is bad for you because they can carry
viruses (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macro_virus).
-Sending Word documents is bad for you, because a Word document
+Sending Word documents is bad for you because a Word document
normally includes hidden information about the author, enabling those
in the know to pry into the author's activities (maybe yours). Text
that you think you deleted may still be embarrassingly present.
@@ -189,10 +189,10 @@
Type.</em></p>
<p>
-<em>Your computer may also have a program to convert to pdf format.
+<em>Your computer may also have a program to convert to PDF format.
Select File => Print. Scroll through available printers and select
-the pdf converter. Click on the Print button and enter a name for the
-pdf file when requested.</em></p>
+the PDF converter. Click on the Print button and enter a name for the
+PDF file when requested.</em></p>
<p>
<em>See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/no-word-attachments.html for more
@@ -226,7 +226,7 @@
<hr />
<p>
-John D. Ramsdell suggests people to discourage the use of proprietary
+John D. Ramsdell suggests people discourage the use of proprietary
attachments by making a small statement in their <kbd>.signature</kbd>
file:</p>
@@ -240,14 +240,14 @@
<p>
<a href="/philosophy/papadopoulos-response.html">Here is a response
-letter</a> by Alexandros Papadopoulos to an email message with word
+letter</a> by Alexandros Papadopoulos to an email message with a Word
attachment.</p>
<hr />
<p>
Kevin Cole of the Gallaudet University in Washington,
-D.C <a href="/philosophy/kevin-cole-response.html">sends out this
+DC, <a href="/philosophy/kevin-cole-response.html">sends out this
automatic reply message</a> whenever he receives a word
attachment. (I think it is
better to send the responses by hand, and make it clear that you have
@@ -294,7 +294,7 @@
<p>
Updated:
<!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2009/08/02 18:10:17 $
+$Date: 2009/12/15 19:10:08 $
<!-- timestamp end -->
</p>
</div>
Index: schools.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /sources/trans-coord/trans-coord/gnun/philosophy/schools.html,v
retrieving revision 1.9
retrieving revision 1.10
diff -u -b -r1.9 -r1.10
--- schools.html 17 Sep 2009 18:10:09 -0000 1.9
+++ schools.html 15 Dec 2009 19:10:08 -0000 1.10
@@ -1,52 +1,54 @@
<!--#include virtual="/server/header.html" -->
-<title>Why schools should exclusively use free software - GNU Project - Free
Software Foundation (FSF)</title>
+<title>Why Schools Should Exclusively Use Free Software - GNU Project - Free
Software Foundation (FSF)</title>
<!--#include virtual="/server/banner.html" -->
-<h2>Why schools should exclusively use free software</h2>
+<h2>Why Schools Should Exclusively Use Free Software</h2>
<p>by <a href="http://www.stallman.org/";>Richard Stallman</a></p>
<p>There are general reasons why all computer users should insist on
-free software. It gives users the freedom to control their own
+free software: it gives users the freedom to control their own
computers—with proprietary software, the computer does what the
-software owner wants it to do, not what the software user wants it to
+software owner wants it to do, not what the user wants it to
do. Free software also gives users the freedom to cooperate with each
other, to lead an upright life. These reasons apply to schools as
they do to everyone.</p>
-<p>But there are special reasons that apply to schools. They are the
-subject of this article. </p>
+<p>The purpose of this article is to state additional reasons that apply
+specifically to education.<p>
-<p>First, free software can save the schools money. Even in the
-richest countries, schools are short of money. Free software gives
+<p>First, free software can save schools money. Free software gives
schools, like other users, the freedom to copy and redistribute the
software, so the school system can make copies for all the computers
they have. In poor countries, this can help close the digital
divide.</p>
-<p>This obvious reason, while important, is rather shallow. And
-proprietary software developers can eliminate this disadvantage by
-donating copies to the schools. (Watch out!—a school that
-accepts this offer may have to pay for future upgrades.) So let's
-look at the deeper reasons.</p>
-
-<p>School should teach students ways of life that will benefit society
-as a whole. They should promote the use of free software just as they
-promote recycling. If schools teach students free software, then the
-students will use free software after they graduate. This will help
+<p>This obvious reason, while important in practical terms, is rather
+shallow. And proprietary software developers can eliminate this reason
+by donating copies to the schools. (Warning: a school that accepts
+such an offer may have to pay for upgrades later.) So let's look at
+the deeper reasons.</p>
+
+<p>Schools have a social mission: to teach students to be citizens of
+a strong, capable, independent, cooperating and free society. They
+should promote the use of free software just as they promote
+recycling. If schools teach students free software, then the students
+will tend to use free software after they graduate. This will help
society as a whole escape from being dominated (and gouged) by
-megacorporations. Those corporations offer free samples to schools
-for the same reason tobacco companies distribute free cigarettes: to
-get children addicted <a href="#1">(1)</a>. They will not give
-discounts to these students once they grow up and graduate.</p>
-
-<p>Free software permits students to learn how software works. When
-students reach their teens, some of them want to learn everything
-there is to know about their computer system and its software. That
-is the age when people who will be good programmers should learn it.
-To learn to write software well, students need to read a lot of
-code and write a lot of code. They need to read and understand
-real programs that people really use. They will be intensely curious
-to read the source code of the programs that they use every day.</p>
+megacorporations.</p>
+
+<p>What schools should refuse to do is teach dependence. Those
+corporations offer free samples to schools for the same reason tobacco
+companies distribute free cigarettes to minors: to get children
+addicted <a href="#1">(1)</a>. They will not give discounts to these
+students once they've grown up and graduated.</p>
+
+<p>Free software permits students to learn how software works. Some
+students, on reaching their teens, want to learn everything there is
+to know about their computer and its software. They are intensely
+curious to read the source code of the programs that they use every
+day. To learn to write good code, students need to read lots of code
+and write lots of code. They need to read and understand real
+programs that people really use. Only free software permits this.</p>
<p>Proprietary software rejects their thirst for knowledge: it says,
“The knowledge you want is a secret—learning is
@@ -57,17 +59,19 @@
and learn as much as they want to know. Schools that use free software
will enable gifted programming students to advance.</p>
-<p>The next reason for using free software in schools is on an even
-deeper level. We expect schools to teach students basic facts, and
-useful skills, but that is not their whole job. The most fundamental
-mission of schools is to teach people to be good citizens and good
-neighbors—to cooperate with others who need their help. In the
-area of computers, this means teaching them to share software.
-Elementary schools, above all, should tell their pupils, “If you
-bring software to school, you must share it with the other
-children.” Of course, the school must practice what it preaches:
-all the software installed by the school should be available for
-students to copy, take home, and redistribute further.</p>
+<p>The deepest reason for using free software in schools is for moral
+education. We expect schools to teach students basic facts and useful
+skills, but that is not their whole job. The most fundamental job of
+schools is to teach good citizenship, which includes the habit of
+helping others. In the area of computing, this means teaching people
+to share software. Schools, starting from nursery school, should tell
+their pupils, “If you bring software to school, you must share
+it with the other students. And you must show the source code to the
+class, in case someone wants to learn.”</p>
+
+<p>Of course, the school must practice what it preaches: all the
+software installed by the school should be available for students to
+copy, take home, and redistribute further.</p>
<p>Teaching the students to use free software, and to participate in
the free software community, is a hands-on civics lesson. It also
@@ -105,7 +109,7 @@
</p>
<p>
-Copyright © 2003 Richard Stallman
+Copyright © 2003, 2009 Richard Stallman
<br />
Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article are permitted
without royalty in any medium provided this notice is preserved.
@@ -114,7 +118,7 @@
<p>
Updated:
<!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2009/09/17 18:10:09 $
+$Date: 2009/12/15 19:10:08 $
<!-- timestamp end -->
</p>
</div>
Index: software-literary-patents.html
===================================================================
RCS file:
/sources/trans-coord/trans-coord/gnun/philosophy/software-literary-patents.html,v
retrieving revision 1.8
retrieving revision 1.9
diff -u -b -r1.8 -r1.9
--- software-literary-patents.html 2 Aug 2009 18:10:18 -0000 1.8
+++ software-literary-patents.html 15 Dec 2009 19:10:08 -0000 1.9
@@ -15,9 +15,9 @@
<p>by <strong><a href="http://stallman.org/";>Richard Stallman</a></strong></p>
<p>
-<em>A version of this article was first published in <cite>The
-Guardian</cite>, of London, on June 20, 2005. It focused on the
-proposed European software patent directive.</em></p>
+<em>The first version of this article was published in
+the <cite>Guardian</cite>, of London, on June 20, 2005. It focused on
+the proposed European software patent directive.</em></p>
<p>
When politicians consider the question of software patents, they are
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
impassioned defense of copyright law, praising Victor Hugo for his
role in the adoption of copyright. (The misleading
term <a href="/philosophy/not-ipr.html"> “intellectual
-property”</a>, promotes this confusion—one reason it
+property”</a> promotes this confusion—one of the reasons it
should never be used.)
</p>
@@ -51,13 +51,13 @@
</p>
<p>
-Consider the novel, Les Misérables, which Hugo wrote. Since he
-wrote it, the copyright belonged only to him—nobody else. He
+Consider Victor Hugo's novel, <cite> Les Misérables</cite>. Since he
+wrote it, the copyright belonged only to him. He
did not have to fear that some stranger could sue him for copyright
infringement and win. That was impossible, because copyright covers
only the details of a work of authorship, not the ideas embodied in
-them, and it only restricts copying. Hugo had not copied Les
-Misérables, so he was not in danger from copyright.
+them, and it only restricts copying. Hugo had not copied <cite>Les
+Misérables</cite>, so he was not in danger from copyright.
</p>
<p>
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@
</ul>
<p>
-If such a patent had existed in 1862 when Les Misérables was
+If such a patent had existed in 1862 when <cite>Les Misérables</cite>
was
published, the novel would have conflicted with all three claims,
since all these things happened to Jean Valjean in the novel. Victor
Hugo could have been sued, and if sued, he would have lost. The novel
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@
</ul>
<p>
-Les Misérables would have been prohibited by that patent too,
+<cite>Les Misérables</cite> would have been prohibited by that patent
too,
because this description too fits the life story of Jean Valjean. And
here's another hypothetical patent:
</p>
@@ -115,11 +115,11 @@
</p>
<p>
-These three patents would all cover the story of one character in a
-novel. They overlap, but they do not precisely duplicate each other,
+All three patents would cover, and prohibit, the life story of this one
+character. They overlap, but they do not precisely duplicate each other,
so they could all be valid simultaneously; all three patent holders
could have sued Victor Hugo. Any one of them could have prohibited
-publication of Les Misérables.
+publication of <cite>Les Misérables</cite>.
</p>
<p>
@@ -146,13 +146,14 @@
</p>
<p>
-Other aspects of Les Misérables could also have run afoul of
+Other aspects of <cite>Les Misérables</cite> could also have
+run afoul of
patents. For instance, there could have been a patent on a
fictionalized portrayal of the Battle of Waterloo, or a patent on
using Parisian slang in fiction. Two more lawsuits. In fact, there
is no limit to the number of different patents that might have been
-applicable for suing the author of a work such as Les
-Misérables. All the patent holders would say they deserved a
+applicable for suing the author of a work such as <cite>Les
+Misérables</cite>. All the patent holders would say they deserved a
reward for the literary progress that their patented ideas represent,
but these obstacles would not promote progress in literature, they
would only obstruct it.
@@ -164,7 +165,7 @@
</p>
<ul>
- <li>Communication process structured with narration that continues
+ <li>A communication process structured with narration that continues
through many pages.</li>
<li>A narration structure sometimes resembling a fugue or
improvisation.</li>
@@ -203,7 +204,9 @@
different US software patents that seemed to cover it. That is to
say, each of these 283 different patents forbids some computational
process found somewhere in the thousands of pages of source code of
-Linux. And Linux was less than one percent of the GNU/Linux system.</p>
+Linux. At the time, Linux was around one percent of the whole
+GNU/Linux system. How many patents might there be that a distributor
+of the whole system could be sued under?</p>
<p>
The way to prevent software patents from bollixing software
@@ -243,7 +246,7 @@
</p>
<p>
-Copyright © 2005, 2007, 2008 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+Copyright © 2005, 2007, 2008 Richard Stallman
</p>
<p>Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article are
permitted worldwide, without royalty, in any medium, provided this
@@ -253,7 +256,7 @@
<p>
Updated:
<!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2009/08/02 18:10:18 $
+$Date: 2009/12/15 19:10:08 $
<!-- timestamp end -->
</p>
</div>
- trans-coord/gnun/philosophy can-you-trust.html ...,
Yavor Doganov <=