RMS Says "Software As a Service" Is Non-free 715
BillyG noted an RMS interview where he says "'Software as a service' means that you think of a particular server as doing your computing for you. If that's what the server does, you must not use it! If you do your computing on someone else's server, you hand over control of your computing to whoever controls the server. It is like running binary-only software, only worse: it's even harder for you to patch the program that's running on someone else's server than it is to patch a binary copy of a program running on your own computer. Just like non-free software, 'software as a service' is incompatible with your freedom."
I must not use it? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Dupe? (Score:5, Funny)
Seems uncannily like this story from a month ago: Richard Stallman Warns About Non-Free Web Apps
Newsflash! RMS has the same opinion he had a month ago!
So... (Score:5, Funny)
RMS goes to the Zoo (Score:1, Funny)
With a twinkle in his eye and a skip in his step, RMS slammed his sky-blue Chevette's rusted-out car door and turned on heel toward the MIT Zoo entrance. Today was a Sunday, and RMS had decided the daily stresses of Free Software, the GPL, and his crazy drug-smoking habits could go away for just one afternoon while he enjoyed the zoo.
"That'll be twenty-five dollars, sir," the lady at the admission booth said glumly. She looked at RMS expectantly.
"I was expecting this zoo to be Free," RMS stated loudly, eyes darting around to gauge onlookers' reactions. There were none: RMS's capital F had went unnoticed. "Can you ensure me that this money will not help fund -"
The admissions lady cut him off. "Twenty-five dollars, or twenty bucks with a Bawls can," the lady cut in.
With a grumble and shake of his beard, RMS handed over twenty five of his hard-earned dollars. Considering that the GPL works to unemploy programmers, one must wonder where this money came from.
By evening, RMS found himself in front of the penguin exhibit. He felt himself start to sweat, which would have been no surprise -- his thick, full, grizzly beard was worth a thousand down comforters -- except that he was wearing only a pair of nylon biking shorts and a travel pack around his waist. He stared at his hands. What was wrong?
"Awk" a nearby bird squawked. RMS wheeled in the direction the screech had come from. He was met with the steely, unfeeling stares of a penguin. "Awk! Ooooh God, the penguin said awk... Lord, lord lord, it's GNU/Linux. The penguin is Tux!!!" RMS blurted out. He felt dizzy, and cold sweat now washed over his brittle, hairy chest. He looked this way and that. From nearby a bird again squawked.
"Awk! Awk! Awwwwk!!!"
RMS ran as fast as his atrophied hippie-programmer legs could carry him, right through a gate and into an exhibit. He realized what he had done, and before he could turn around, he heard a low, ominous sound. Like the Devil's riding mower.
"Moooooooooooooooo!"
RMS gasped and darted his eyes around him as he stood deathly still.
"MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
RMS was standing in the Gnu section, and it seemed these bull yaks were in rut and ready to mate with the first hairy thing with a hole in its center they found. Bad luck for RMS and his beard. Just then he felt cloven hooves push him down, and the world became fuzzy. RMS blacked out and remembered no more.
Actually, pretty funny (Score:4, Funny)
Can't you imagine all of the web based applications converted to work on a single computer...
Twitter - A single text entry box with a 126 character limit that appends to the text already displayed.
Facebook - An html file on your desktop that links to your media folder.
Google - Grep from a bash shell.
WoW - A virtual landscape with no other players, just lots of rats (this already applies to 2nd life).
StumbleUpon - A file browser.
Wikipedia - Man pages.
Where do I sign up?
Re:Obviously! (Score:1, Funny)
You don't understand the difference between "must not" and "MUST NOT".
Re:Obviously! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Ever get the feeling that.... (Score:5, Funny)
The problem is when you crack open your daily life and look at computing services you can't crack open and look at.
I really need to proofread, but instead, I rely on Firefox's little red lines. Maybe Stallman has something right....
Sewer as a Service (Score:5, Funny)
Re:No need for him to lift a finger (Score:5, Funny)
Bad, really BAD analogy (Score:3, Funny)
You can still WALK if the taxicab grinds to a halt. You can hail one from another company, beg a ride from someone else who owns a car.
A better anology would be to have ONLY privatly owned cars and no public transport of any sorts, no bicycles, no footpads. How much power do you think big oil would have then?
The problem with having your data in the cloud is NOT just that your data is out there, but the way you use it is as well. If gmail fails I only not only use my emails themselves, but all my settings. What settings? Oh okay, but imagine a spreadsheet, you can copy out the data, but for complex spreadsheets the setup/layout/whatever is often more valuable then the data. If I loose that because I can't run the computations myself, then I am in deep shit. That is what he is warning about.
In fact, there is one sector we have seen this very clearly. MMORPG's. Kill the server, kill the client. Star Wars Galaxies New Game Experiency upgrade was widely resented by its users but because they don't control the server or the software on the server they had no choice but to swallow the bitter pill or loose all the value they had put into it.
When I take a cab, I am not committed, when I use cloud services, I shouldn't be either.
Re:RMS goes to the Zoo (Score:4, Funny)
Re:RMS goes to the Zoo (Score:2, Funny)
I think you mean "Really good one" sir.
Re:RMS' point (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Dupe? (Score:3, Funny)
That article will be "Free as in Beard"
Re:Obviously! (Score:5, Funny)
That is, he believes every computer user is enough of a hacker to compile and run all the software they will ever need.
Yes! I mean, what the fuck is he thinking?! I'm not a damned hacker who can type a document in OpenOffice and save it to - of ALL PLACES - my LOCAL machine!
This man should have a haircut and shave mandated by law enforcement!
Talk about fallacies...
Re:RMS goes to the Zoo (Score:5, Funny)
It is pitch black. You are likely to be raped by a Gnu.
Re:Obviously! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Obviously! (Score:3, Funny)
That is, he believes every computer user is enough of a hacker to compile and run all the software they will ever need.
Yes! I mean, what the fuck is he thinking?! I'm not a damned hacker who can type a document in OpenOffice and save it to - of ALL PLACES - my LOCAL machine!
This man should have a haircut and shave mandated by law enforcement!
Talk about fallacies...
Didn't you mean follicles?