[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: One word label for someone who rejects proprietary software
From: |
Roberto Beltran |
Subject: |
Re: One word label for someone who rejects proprietary software |
Date: |
Fri, 14 Feb 2020 23:54:59 +0000 |
> Moral arguments with respect to software are vaccous.
What are your reasons for being on this list?
Free software developer for over 20 years. Occasional FSF/FSFE paying
member. FLOSS advocate since long before the term "FLOSS" (which I
don't like), circa 2005.
Why did you do all these things?
I'm not saying I agree with the communist perspective, but I do
think there are ethical reasons for not producing and for rejecting
proprietary software.
Go ahead, explain the ethical reasons, or better, the immorality of
proprietary software and how libre software is somehow moral.
So there's three main schools of ethics, deontological,
consequensialist, and virtue ethics.
I kind of suck at building out Kant, but for deontological the argument
might be something like: the user uses his software as a tool to
further his own ends, if you remove his agency in using his tool for
your own ends you are using him as mere means breaking the categorical
imperative, therefore unethical. I don't think that's an empty
argument.
For consequential, I don't really like this perspective but it might be
true. That goes something like: free software is generally going to
create more utility than proprietary software, considering how the user
is mistreated, how vendor lock-in affects whole industries, etc. etc.
vs profits for the company and the marginal utility of the proprietary
software vs a free version of the same thing if it already exists,
therefore proprietary software is unethical. Again, not really a fan of
this one, but I don't think it's empty.
I like virtue ethics and I like rolling my own, and I came up with this
perspective: Really there is something fundamentally human about using
tools, just like speaking and walking upright. We use tools, adapt them
to our needs and disseminate them through our community. That's part of
how we've been so successful as a species, particularly over
neanderthal. Looking at how we use software as a tool, if we restrict
users as is done with proprietary software, we are attacking an
essential part of their humanity, making them pathetic, so we shouldn't
do that. Also as users, if we are really excellent, we would be able to
stop others from making us pathetic by rejecting attempts to mistreat
us in this way.
Would you please help me come up with a cool new name for ourselves?
- Re: One word label for someone who rejects proprietary software, (continued)
- Re: One word label for someone who rejects proprietary software, Bob Jonkman, 2020/02/13
- Re: One word label for someone who rejects proprietary software, Roberto Beltran, 2020/02/13
- Re: One word label for someone who rejects proprietary software, Bob Jonkman, 2020/02/13
- Re: One word label for someone who rejects proprietary software, Thomas Lord, 2020/02/13
- Re: One word label for someone who rejects proprietary software, C . Cossé, 2020/02/13
- Re: One word label for someone who rejects proprietary software, C . Cossé, 2020/02/13
- Re: One word label for someone who rejects proprietary software, Jean Louis, 2020/02/14
- Re: One word label for someone who rejects proprietary software, Roberto Beltran, 2020/02/14
- Re: One word label for someone who rejects proprietary software, C . Cossé, 2020/02/14
- Re: One word label for someone who rejects proprietary software,
Roberto Beltran <=
- Re: One word label for someone who rejects proprietary software, C . Cossé, 2020/02/15
- Re: One word label for someone who rejects proprietary software, Roberto Beltran, 2020/02/15
- Re: One word label for someone who rejects proprietary software, C . Cossé, 2020/02/15
- Re: One word label for someone who rejects proprietary software, Roberto Beltran, 2020/02/15
- Re: One word label for someone who rejects proprietary software, C . Cossé, 2020/02/16
- Re: One word label for someone who rejects proprietary software, Roberto Beltran, 2020/02/16
- Re: One word label for someone who rejects proprietary software, C . Cossé, 2020/02/16
- Re: One word label for someone who rejects proprietary software, Roberto Beltran, 2020/02/16
- Re: One word label for someone who rejects proprietary software, C . Cossé, 2020/02/16
- Re: One word label for someone who rejects proprietary software, Andrea Trentini, 2020/02/14