I and a growing number of people are on the flip side of this ethical question. Rather than sell software a company doesn't need, we harvest software from the Free software community. We are internal company consultants that exist because of the Free Software industry.
In my case our company is a Biotechnology company that sells chemicals and software is just what we need to operate.
The growing body of Free Software and Open Software has allowed me to move into role of internal consultant. I gather the software we need and modify it to fit the needs of my company. The ethicial question for me is how to give back to the community. To address this, I have been working for the last 5 years migrating our internal coding practices to be in line with Free Software practices. I am working toward a day when every line of code we produce is by default free.
United States Patent  1+i
Lehman October 10, 2000
Advertising in the NooSphere via NooBoards
Abstract
The placement of an advertisment meme into NooSpace via dynamic texigraphical insertion. Specifically:
Creation of a NooBoard as a dynamic texigraphical representation of a advertisement meme. Creation of
a NooForge as a dynamic textigraphical representation of a NooSphere working environment. Insertion of the
NooBoard into the NooForge via dynamic textigraphical insertion.
Inventors: Lehman; Steeg (1 NooPlace, NooWhere, United State of Noo)
Appl. No.: 1-i
Filed: October 10, 2000
We assemble at Slashdot. What we discuss should not be limited by the constraints of what Andover can publish. Move the content of the discussions to Freenet and its kin. Slashdot becomes a portal to the distributed net gaining the protection of freedom of speech while maintaining a common gathering location. Write the code to intelligently connect Slashdot to Freenet and others will follow.
I am concerned with the business model and architecture Transmeta has chosen for the Crusoe Processor family. One reporter asked about viruses and the reply was "we" shut down all the pathways right away so there is no access to the underlying processor or morph code. At the same time Linus joked about what other processor could you get a fix from the web for an instruction gone bad.
Without open sourcing the morph code Transmeta has created a black box. This processor not only has the potential but was specifically designed to track everything that is going on in the machine and react at a very high level. People flipped their lid when a number was imbedded in the Pentium III. Transmeta has the means to imbed, remove and potentially send anything they wish or are pressured to do.
It is my belief that a major reason for Linux growth in the world is the ability for nations and individuals to not only take the word of the distributor but have the means to verify it themselves.
I hope Transmeta can see this very real obstacle for what it is and opens up the morph software as soon as they possibly can.
I feel Privacy and Freedom are integral parts of the same thing. I look forward to Transmeta changing their cash flow away from needing a proprietary lock on the Morph code. I hope they will see this as code death in the internet space.
The processor won't be a personal processor for me until I can look at the source and compile it myself. Then I know what I have and it is mine. This is the only processor package I've seen that has the potential. I have in Linux my "own" OS and I always wanted my own processor. I don't think I am alone.:)
Slashdot Mirror
I and a growing number of people are on the flip side of this ethical question. Rather than sell software a company doesn't need, we harvest software from the Free software community. We are internal company consultants that exist because of the Free Software industry. In my case our company is a Biotechnology company that sells chemicals and software is just what we need to operate. The growing body of Free Software and Open Software has allowed me to move into role of internal consultant. I gather the software we need and modify it to fit the needs of my company. The ethicial question for me is how to give back to the community. To address this, I have been working for the last 5 years migrating our internal coding practices to be in line with Free Software practices. I am working toward a day when every line of code we produce is by default free.
Watch out Slashdot and SourceForge here I come. :)
United States Patent  1+i
Lehman October 10, 2000
Advertising in the NooSphere via NooBoards
Abstract
The placement of an advertisment meme into NooSpace via dynamic texigraphical insertion. Specifically: Creation of a NooBoard as a dynamic texigraphical representation of a advertisement meme. Creation of a NooForge as a dynamic textigraphical representation of a NooSphere working environment. Insertion of the NooBoard into the NooForge via dynamic textigraphical insertion.
Inventors: Lehman; Steeg (1 NooPlace, NooWhere, United State of Noo)
Appl. No.: 1-i
Filed: October 10, 2000
We assemble at Slashdot. What we discuss should not be limited by the constraints of what Andover can publish. Move the content of the discussions to Freenet and its kin. Slashdot becomes a portal to the distributed net gaining the protection of freedom of speech while maintaining a common gathering location. Write the code to intelligently connect Slashdot to Freenet and others will follow.
Without open sourcing the morph code Transmeta has created a black box. This processor not only has the potential but was specifically designed to track everything that is going on in the machine and react at a very high level. People flipped their lid when a number was imbedded in the Pentium III. Transmeta has the means to imbed, remove and potentially send anything they wish or are pressured to do.
It is my belief that a major reason for Linux growth in the world is the ability for nations and individuals to not only take the word of the distributor but have the means to verify it themselves.
I hope Transmeta can see this very real obstacle for what it is and opens up the morph software as soon as they possibly can.
I feel Privacy and Freedom are integral parts of the same thing. I look forward to Transmeta changing their cash flow away from needing a proprietary lock on the Morph code. I hope they will see this as code death in the internet space.
The processor won't be a personal processor for me until I can look at the source and compile it myself. Then I know what I have and it is mine. This is the only processor package I've seen that has the potential. I have in Linux my "own" OS and I always wanted my own processor. I don't think I am alone. :)