Linked by David Adams on Tue 30th Sep 2008 02:26 UTC
A very interesting "Blogwatch" posting at Computerworld links out to an interview with Richard Stallman wherein he posits that Cloud Computing is a trap to entice users to give up control and privacy and become subject to closed, proprietary platforms. Since RMS is a professional provocateur, I wouldn't consider all of his pronouncements newsworthy. But the thoughtful responses linked in this blog roundup were interesting, and I believe the issue of convenience vs control vis a vis Cloud Computing is a very timely and important debate to be having at this point in IT history.
Thread beginning with comment 332344
To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
RE[7]: Time to invest in cloud computing? - FOSS?
by da_Chicken on Sat 4th Oct 2008 00:27
in reply to "RE[6]: Time to invest in cloud computing? - FOSS?"
Member since:2006-01-01
I'll summarize: 1,300 words that essentially boils down to "Linux has benefited GNU's ideology, so everyone is obligated to help us advocate that ideology by using the term 'GNU/Linux'."
That's certainly an unusual interpretation. Perhaps you should also read another essay that the essay I mentioned also links to. This second essay is considerably shorter and it expresses even more directly why Richard Stallman thinks that "calling the system 'GNU/Linux' spreads awareness of the ideals of freedom".
http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-users-never-heard-of-gnu.html
In case you find even this second short essay too long for your abilities of concentration, I'll try to summarize the essay's main idea:
Richard Stallman argues that most people who use GNU/Linux on daily basis have never heard of the GNU project and its ideals of free software because the system is commonly called "Linux". If more people started calling the system GNU/Linux, that might arouse GNU/Linux users' curiosity about the GNU project and help to spread awareness of the free software movement and its ideals of free software. Stallman also argues that "the 'open source' rhetoric tends to lead people's attention away from issues of users' freedom" because the term "open source" usually just refers to a particular model of software development, with no explicit connection to users' freedom.
Stallman ends his essay with these words: "When we ask you to call the system 'GNU/Linux', we do so because awareness of GNU slowly but surely brings with it awareness of the free software ideals of freedom and community."
Hopefully this summary helps you to figure out what Stallman's insistence of calling the system "GNU/Linux" has to do with free software ideals.
Edited 2008-10-04 00:30 UTC
RE[8]: Time to invest in cloud computing? - FOSS?
by sbergman27 on Sat 4th Oct 2008 01:12
in reply to "RE[7]: Time to invest in cloud computing? - FOSS?"
Member since:2005-07-24
That's certainly an unusual interpretation.
Not particularly unusual. In fact, it's not an uncommon one at all. I agree with Stephen's interpretation, which makes at least two people right in this thread. And I'm pretty sure we're not the only ones here who view it that way.
Richard Stallman argues that most people who use GNU/Linux on daily basis have never heard of the GNU project and its ideals of free software because the system is commonly called "Linux".
Which clearly demonstrates how flawed this "argument" is to anyone who has spent any time at all in any sort of distro support forum, or any other sort of Linux related forum, or even broader-scoped ones like OSNews. GNU and the FSF's vaunted ideals are discussed, ad nauseum, anywhere that Linux is discussed. It is, in fact, virtually impossible to avoid that relatively small, but extremely vocal cabal of Stallmanite missionaries who do their utmost to convert the masses of those whom they seem to view as "the unenlightened" to their "One True Path"... whether their intended targets want to be converted or not.
Sorry. You'll get no "Gnu/Linux from me. There is already *too much* Stallmanism plaguing our Internet forums.
Edited 2008-10-04 01:24 UTC
RE[8]: Time to invest in cloud computing? - FOSS?
by google_ninja on Sat 4th Oct 2008 04:14
in reply to "RE[7]: Time to invest in cloud computing? - FOSS?"
Member since:2006-02-05
Stallman has spent years on his high horse being ignored by everyone that matters in the industry. Linus used the GPL for practical, not religious purposes. Linux was started for practical, not religious purposes. If you buy into the whole Freedom thing, have fun with that. Plenty of people, including the founder/leader of the Linux project have no time for that sillyness, and resent RMSs attempt to ride the coattails of an actual success.
Recent Original Stories
Recent Comments
Headlines
Random Comments
Random Stories
Random OS Link
Member since:
2005-07-06
A lot. There's also a more detailed answer available here:
http://www.gnu.org/gnu/why-gnu-linux.html "
For those without a masochistic streak, I'll summarize: 1,300 words that essentially boils down to "Linux has benefited GNU's ideology, so everyone is obligated to help us advocate that ideology by using the term 'GNU/Linux'."
That's a rather tenuous link between free software ideals & the Linux vs. GNU/Linux "controversy" - and part of an argument that's wholly unconvincing to begin with. The same argument could just as easily be used to assert that Linux should actually be called "Ken Thompson/Bell Labs/Berkley/AT&T/GNU/Linux".