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The FSF Is 30 Years Old; Where Should They Go From Here? (fsf.org)
An anonymous reader writes: The Free Software Foundation is conducting a survey to gather feedback on where they should be focusing their efforts over the next five years. Should they concentrate on IP issues, UX issues, or something else? Is their stance on Free Software versus Open Source a battle that's already lost, and should they compromise? What do users think an ideal world would look like in 2020? And how miserable could things get? Without the FSF (and GNU), today's computing landscape would sure look a lot different.
You are all GNU. GNU says GNUUUU! GNUUUUUU! GNUUUUUU gnus GNUUUUU! GNUUUUU says the unix OS. YOU OPERATING SYSTEM DEVELOPERS!!!
They need to fight the coming tide of walled gardens and closed systems. The availability of freely programmable general computers is not guaranteed. We are seeing a rush towards closed systems like iOS and Android and corporate controlled app/software stores with signed code. I hope in 25 years end user programmable computers will still be affordable and widely available with access to the Internet.
Having watched inventions wander away from me and become private (first to the patent office with a whole bunch of cash now wins thanks to changes to U.S. law) I know how vital defensive publication is. Now I see that the OIN and linuxdefenders.org related defensive publication service defensivepublications.org has been discontinued. The website still exists, but won't take further submissions if you try to submit them. Without being able to keep open inventions open, we're in a heap of trouble. I'd like to see easy, reliable, court-provable defensive publication come first. I am suppressing several inventions right now that I believe would greatly benefit open source (etc) because such a service doesn't exist; as I wait until it does exist again. That's all I can do on my budget right now.
They need to hire more lobbyists and lawyers. get people to actually band together to be members and scare the hell out of the congress critters that are hell bent on being the enemies of the people and work only for their corporate masters.
congress is afraid, deathly afraid of the NRA.... we need to get the FSF at the same level of fear.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
GPL3 is more restrictive than GPL2, there is no way around this truth. A lot of companies are avoiding GPL2 like the plague, so trying to sell them on a "but this one is only very slightly worse for you" license is an absurd exercise in futility.
Android is still a closed walled system. There is a rush towards closed systems and it is gaining momentum. There isn't a rush away from Pi or Arduino, but there isn't a guarantee that such systems will remain available forever. I can see a day when ISPs start requiring "approved hardware" in order to connect to their networks for example. I can also see a day when Google starts requiring Google approved apps and turns off the adb install route. It may not be today, or tomorrow, but it is a threat.
I was going to finish the survey, but then I saw this question. There's no way to express my desire for them to stop promoting diversity and participation of underrepresented groups, and I don't want to be counted among those who oppose egalitarianism in the community.
-1 Uncomfortable Truth
ISIS is beheading a sufficient quantity of infidels.
[ ] Strongly disagree
[ ] Disagree
[ ] Neither agree nor disagree
[ ] Agree
[ ] Strongly agree
Maw! Fire up the karma burner!
You have to ask where we would be without the FSF. The answer is "a lot worse off". Pushing the GPL and free software, especially in the early days of the internet when GPL software became the de-facto standard for a lot of things, has created a better, freer world. No exaggeration.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC