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GNU Project Introduces Gneural Network AI Package (gnu.org)
jones_supa writes: The GNU free software project is introducing a new neural network computation package called Gneural Network. The GNU project has been impressed by the work of Google, IBM, AlphaGo and Watson on the field of artificial intelligence. However, the GNU project sees that the fact that only companies and labs have access to this technology can represent a threat: "First of all, we cannot know how money driven companies are going to use this novel technology. Second, this monopoly slows down Progress and Technology." This is why the author, Jean Michel Sellier, decided to create Gneural Network and release it under the GNU GPL license. In the current release (version number humbly set to 0.0.1), it is a very simple feedforward network which can learn very simple tasks such as curve fitting, but the development team plans to deliver more advanced features very soon. They are already spending efforts to implement a network of LSTM (long short term memory) neurons for recurrent networks and deep learning. Learning reinforcement techniques are also planned.
If it's anything like the utter embarrassment of HURD (w.r.t. Linux kernel)
The HURD ceased to be a prority GNU project decades ago. The Linux kernel meets the FSF requirements (GPL) and so completes teh GNU operating system. What's left the the research project of a few people who want to see if they can make a super-unix with a microkernel.
That is not in any way shape or form embarressing.
I think GNU themselves are too slow, dumb and doctrinaire to ever produce anything of value or impact ever again.
I, for one want to see concepts in C++ as soon as possible. Gue'ss who's leading the charge on that one?
SJW n. One who posts facts.
No, he is arguing in favor of freedom. Freedom is meaningless if it doesn't include the freedom to do things others disapprove of. Software licenses are a mechanism for achieving freedom. RMS believes that the best way to achieve freedom is through restrictive licenses backed by the coercive power of the state (copyright, courts, police). Other people believe that the best way to achieve freedom is through non-restrictive licenses and by example. Which of those mechanisms is better is an empirical question, but at this point, it looks like RMS is losing the debate.
Or, alternatively, you might also say that RMS has won the debate but just doesn't want to admit it: the GPL was never intended to be a permanent solution, it was intended to be transitional, until people have learned the benefits of sharing and do it freely. Well, that's what's been happening, with the vast amounts of software released under "do anything, just don't sue us" licenses by private companies.
Personally, I thank RMS for his original contributions and getting people use to the idea of sharing software, but I think his task is done, and for now, at least, the BSD and Apache licenses are better choices for most projects.