Linked by Thom Holwerda on Sun 4th Feb 2007 21:05 UTC, submitted by Marc Fiszman
"This show features an interview with Richard Stallman, founder of the free software movement and the man who put the GNU into GNU/Linux. After introducing the concept of free software, Richard offers some trenchant criticism of two tech superstars: the Lord of Linux, Linus Torvalds, and Apple guru Steve Jobs. From there, we move into a discussion of the impact of free software - and freedom more generally - on the evolution of personal and global consciousness."
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Member since:
2006-04-21
Freedom zero (in computing, numbers generally start from zero, since even storing zero requires some space in the computers memory) allows you to use a program without worrying, for example, whether you will be prevented by the vendor of software X from watching a dvd you have legally purchased.
Freedom 1 allows anyone to deconstruct a program and build another like it or improve it. Without this freedom in the "real world", buying BetaMax is fine - until everyone decides to only distribute VHS tapes. In the computing world, it's much worse: proprietary technology after proprietary technology has fallen victim to the Grim Reaper because the vendor went out of business or changed direction, and no-one knew how to replicate their work. Ergo, it, all the data you saved with it, and all the time you spent learning it, became obsolete.
Freedom 2 allows you to distribute the software that you have modified or improved or deconstructed, so that everyone, not just you, can benefit from VHS instead of being stuck with BetaMax or V2000. With proprietary software, you do not have this freedom - copying proprietary software and distributing it for a free without permission from the copyright holder is illegal (it is always illegal to distribute without permission, but free software *gives you* that permission).