From 329bb8dd60dd54b795d600e157caae62d04ae952 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: P. J. McDermott Date: Fri, 02 Dec 2011 01:58:35 -0500 Subject: Add section on the importance of software freedom. --- diff --git a/researched-outline.txt b/researched-outline.txt index 00aebe7..133c5f6 100644 --- a/researched-outline.txt +++ b/researched-outline.txt @@ -158,6 +158,87 @@ GNU RMS, stuned and angry, immediately and without a word walked out [Williams-RMS, 6-8] +importance of software freedom + car analogy + common question: I'm not a computer programmer, so why should I care? + imagine all car hoods were welded shut so no one could see the engine + no one can study or modify their engines + I'm not an auto mechanic, so why should I care? + if car with a welded hood breaks down, only manufacturer could repair it + hope manufacturer stays in business + many around the world almost didn't in 2008-2009 + monopolies in auto repair market + if car without welded hood breaks down, anyone with skills can repair it + auto repair is a free market + many professional and amateur mechanics + when your car breaks down, you can: + fix it yourself, + find a friend to fix it for you, or + hire a mechanic to fix it for you + when a free program breaks, anyone can fix it + and they can share their fix with the world + "code is law" + developer decides what program can and cannot do + without freedom to study and modify program, users are helpless + restrictions + include anti-features and limitations of freedom 0 + trial versions + program can deny access to certain features + program can stop working after some period of time - "time bomb" + screen shots in MS Windows Media Player + copyright law allows screen shots in many situations + program does not allow screen shots in any situations + printing DRM-enabled PDF files in Adobe Reader + program refuses to print certain files for you + backdoors and tracking + NSAKEY in MS Windows + accidentally revealed by MSFT + shows that NSA might have access to every Windows system + Amazon.com Inc. deleted books from Kindle libraries + including, ironically, "1984" by George Orwell + multiple times, despite promises otherwise + like bookstore breaking into house and taking books from shelf + mobile phone location tracking files + found in Apple iOS and Android + tracks everywhere you go with the device + is copied to desktop or laptop PC + can therefore be accessed by anyone with access to the PC: + family, friends, + crackers, + PIs, law enforcement + the tracking in Android at least could be removed + because much of Android is free software + in fact, Replicant doesn't track its users + reliability and security + proprietary software can be audited only by its developers + relies on a practice called "security through obscurity" + hide the code, hide the holes + thoroughly disproven by studies + crackers find holes anyway + users are helpless until developers fix the holes, if they ever do + free software can be audited (and even fixed) by anyone + users can protect themselves and help protect each other + ex: HTTP Range header bug + bug in HTTP, affected all Web servers + solutions discussed on Apache list + Debian maintainers (Apache users) added patch to package + Debian released a complete fix 9 days before Apache did + ex: implantable medical devices + software is not reviewed by FDA; FDA trusts devs to report on safety + software has bugs, most of which could easily be found + many people have died due to such errors + software is unsecure; IMDs with wireless radios can be cracked + a person could kill an IMD user with a small, cheap device + people are dying because companies refuse to publish source code + ex: Air France Flight 447 + 2009-06-01 + all 228 people on board were killed + under investigation + apparent cause: + software responding poorly to conflicting measurements + "Proprietary software is an unsafe building material" + [Moglen] + commercial free software many believe that money can't be made in open source and free software that free means noncommercial @@ -321,3 +402,6 @@ DB-Gates http://www.digibarn.com/collections/newsletters/homebrew/V2_01/ homebrew_V2_01_p2.jpg Williams-RMS +Moglen + http://www.softwarefreedom.org/events/2010/sscl/moglen- + software_in_everything-transcript.html -- cgit v0.9.1