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| DATE | 2015-02-26 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
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| SUBJECT | Subject: [NYLXS - HANGOUT] one more read
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http://opensource.com/business/15/2/interview-john-sullivan-free-software-foundation
this article echos much of my deep concerns in the comeing few years.
what is weird is that I believe it is the Open Source people that have
largely contributed to our troubles
There is a growing concern about government surveillance. At the same
time, those of us who live and breathe technology do so because it
provides us with a service and freedom to share our lives with others.
There is a tacit assumption that once we leave the store, the device we
have in our pocket, backpack, or desk is /ours/. We buy a computer, a
tablet, a smartphone, and we use applications and apps without even
thinking about who really owns the tools and whether we truly own any of
it. You purchase a device, yet you are not free to modify it or the
software on it in any way. It begs the question of who /really/ owns the
device and the software?
John Sullivan, Executive Director Free Software FoundationThe Free
Software Foundation (FSF ) is a nonprofit with
a worldwide mission to promote computer user freedom and defend the
rights of all free software users. FSF proudly promotes the idea of free
software—not "free" as in "free beer," but "free" as in "free to modify
the code, share the code, and distribute it freely."
As the FSF describes on its about page, "The free software movement is
one of the most successful social movements to arise from computing
culture, driven by a worldwide community of ethical programmers
dedicated to the cause of freedom and sharing."
I had a chance to interview John Sullivan, Executive Director of FSF
, and what he said was
both refreshing and thought provoking. The Foundation sponsors the GNU
project , which maintains an
entire operating system licensed as free software.
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