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The FSF Is 30 Years Old; Where Should They Go From Here? (fsf.org)

Posted by timothy on from the thanks-for-the-ongoing-good dept.

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.

4 of 231 comments (clear)

  1. To do by SeriousTube · · Score: 5, Funny

    Get Hurd done.

  2. Focus on what they do best by 110010001000 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    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.

  3. Make Defensive Publication Possible Again! by nomentanus · · Score: 5, Interesting

    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.

  4. Re:Let 'em eat Pi by 110010001000 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    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.