Re: [address@hidden: Re: Free Software Logo -> Where does FSF go?]

[Jean Louis]

* Aaron Wolf <wolftune@riseup.net> [2020-11-02 18:57]:
> 
> 
> On 2020-11-01 4:22 a.m., Jean Louis wrote:
> 
> > If copyright would be abolished completely all software would be free
> > and people would not argue. Everybody would be friendly to each other
> > and sharing useful benefits. 
> > 
> 
> This is not at all true. Non-free software happens primarily by sharing
> only binaries and not sharing the source code. Next, it happens via EULA
> and other contracts that do not rely on copyright law.

Not so serious... my point is too extreme and out of this time.

From:
https://www.planet-today.com/2019/12/the-bushmen-are-oldest-people-on-earth.html#gsc.tab=0

Quote:

"Conquerors-Europeans practically exterminated small African
people. The main reason for this destruction was the consciousness of
the tribe and their firm beliefs. Bushmen believe that everything in
the world belongs to all people. That is, the basic concept of the
“civilized” world – private property is unfamiliar to them. That is
why they never occupied certain territories and preferred nomadic way
of life."

That above statement may sound unreal to you. If we would have such
society we would not have copyrights and would not have urges to hide
something useful from each other.

> In order to legally require software to be free, we'd need more than
> copyright and patent abolitions.

Yes, in present time in mostly developed countries, or let us say USA.

In those non-developed countries it is questionable as neither
companies would respect proprietary software nor free software. On
this planet there are many people who simply do not care about it,
including governments. There are millions of people enjoying freedom
that is unheard of in for example USA. For exactly US $0.27 I can get
a DVD with most popular Holiday movies just 5 minutes walk from my
location. That it is copyrighted people do not even know. If anybody
knows, would say so, but would not mind about it. Is it legal? I think
it is quite legal. We have to presume innocence until proven
guilty. Finally they all may get trading licenses, and if country
issues trading license to a shop that distributes movies or software,
then how is it not legal in that specific place, specific country?!

Software? Any software is sold or distributed how people want it in
those areas of the world. It would be futile to talk about licenses
when people cannot understand the subject. They want to get a DVD or
operating system, finished there.

There is that protection for satellite streaming, TV, movies,
channels, right? All such protections do not hold water in many
countries. More millions of people use satellite TV without paying for
it then those paying. More are using it cracked than those using it
not cracked.

The statement above is very true and real. Not all the world is Europe
or North America where people act upon their own foundation of sense
and knowledge.

> We'd also need *mandatory* source release for all *published* works
> (i.e. to convey the source along with any time anyone is given
> access to software otherwise). And we'd need a prohibition on DRM
> and similar technical obstacles to software freedom.  And we'd need
> to ban contracts that block software freedom.

I agree mostly.

It is not practical neither useful to provide sources.

GPL is asking to access the sources, that is enough. There must be
also some specified time to provide sources. GPL 2 is different than
GPL 3. GPL 3 mentions network, and GPL 2 does not mention network.

Now imagine somebody needs and wants to run for example Kiwix to read
Wikipedia. That is me in particular. I wish to download Kiwix to read
Wikipedia offline and provide such to local communities over
network. Kiwix is already a large package. If I am downloading Kiwix
it would increase the download size not necessarily.

It would even confuse me as a user who only wanted to read Wikipedia.

Imagine all the DVDs being downloaded, and then sources to be
mandatory. Too much of download.

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