Re: [libreplanet-discuss] Linux.com promoting Google Glass?

[Manuel Palomo Duarte]

2013/5/19 Michał 'rysiek' Woźniak <rysiek@fwioo.pl>

Dnia sobota, 18 maja 2013 o 00:03:41 Manuel Palomo Duarte napisał(a):

> As I understand the interest of Linux.com (ergo Linux Foundation) is
> promoting Linux in all its applications and uses. Of course, preferring
> those related to freedom, but linux is just linux

I strongly disagree with that. Free software has strong ethical values
enshrined, it's not just Yet Another Engineering Paradigm. Personal freedom is
crucial, and any use of free software to curtail such freedom should in my
book be shunned upon.

I'm not saying that position is good or bad (personally I also don't agree with it). I'm just saying that Linux Foundation is not explicitly meant for it.  If you read the "About us" section [1], they are concern about "the open source development community to ensure Linux remains free and technically advanced". They talk about open-source and use free in an ambiguous way (not saying "freedom").

[1] http://www.linuxfoundation.org/about

 

If it's not, what's the actual virtue of using GNU/Linux? Why use GNU/Linux,
if it offers no real advantage (freedom-wise) compared to closed OSes?

I think that there are many reasons to use GNU/Linux without any freedom concern: cost saving, stability and so on. Again I insist that from my personal point of view freedom is more important than any of them.

 

There are many levels on which users are being closed in walled gardens and
spied upon. Protection of privacy is a crucial issue of our time, and while I
agree that Linux.com doesn't have to actively fight to defend privacy, some
sensitivity about the issue should be IMHO visible in what is published there.

Promoting Google, one of the largest IT companies and most one of the most
dangerous to privacy, shows that such sensitivity is lacking there. Which is a
pity.

Google doesn't need our promotion, it can (and does) promote itself pretty
well. Rather than Google, why don't we promote more libre and privacy-aware
companies, like Jolla Mobile?

I thinks that question must be addressed to the Linux Foundation steering committee ... 

 

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Pozdrawiam
Michał "rysiek" Woźniak

Fundacja Wolnego i Otwartego Oprogramowania

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Prof. Manuel Palomo Duarte, PhD

Software Process Improvement and Formal Methods group (SPI&FM).

Degree Coordinator for Computer Science.

Department of Computer Science.

Escuela Superior de Ingenieria.

C/ Chile, 1

11002 - Cadiz (Spain)

University of Cadiz

http://neptuno.uca.es/~mpalomo

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