If its on a chip, and you can't change it then it can't be free software, or any software for that matter.
If its user-upgradable, even if its just a card being flashed with a binary blob, then it's still software, in some meaningful way, and should be free software (run for any purpose, ability to study/modify, distribute in modified/unmodified forms)
Knowing which hardware devices support GNU/Linux is important not only for practical reasons---you want your hardware to work with the software that you want to use---but also for ethical and political reasons. You can help the free software movement by purchasing hardware from manufacturers who support our goals and not purchasing from those who don't.
No, this distro contains code covered by a variety of licenses, not just the GPL.
And RMS doesn't say anything about BSD being non-free, but rather just that copyleft is his way to ensure that everyone receiving a copy of the GPL licensed software has the same opportunities as the person or company distributing it.
While the official Flash player may be unstable, that is a secondary issue to the fact that Adobe continues to attempt to seduce and subjugate our community with its proprietary software offerings.
Gnash and Swfdec now support many sites, with the number increasing all the time. By accepting the odious conditions of the Adobe EULA, the efforts of Gnash and Swfdec are hurt. We need people to refuse to install these plugins, and we need people to put pressure on the distributions and browsers to refuse to cooperate with Adobe.
Often, fighting for our freedom requires sacrifice.
and how do I get an application from my own server onto an iPhone?
I don't want to go through Apple. Also, I want to release my application as free software under the GPL, so anyone getting my application needs to be able to modify it and load their modified version onto their phone too.
The angst is because it's Apple, and people see them as a bunch of lovely people who only exist to make the world better, and not the proprietarist DRM vendors they really are.
My sig that encourages people to join the FSF? I don't think it's a noble crusade to work in an Apple store, but if you take a job there, you should be aware that maybe, just maybe, not everyone is such a fan of Apple as some of the people you see.
Slashdot Mirror
Why not? Run an SSH session with a strong key to a private box and shell from there, to your mail, etc.
If its on a chip, and you can't change it then it can't be free software, or any software for that matter.
If its user-upgradable, even if its just a card being flashed with a binary blob, then it's still software, in some meaningful way, and should be free software (run for any purpose, ability to study/modify, distribute in modified/unmodified forms)
Good idea.
Come to #gnewsense on Freenode or use the mailing list http://lists.nongnu.org/mailman/listinfo/gnewsense-users to discuss how to get started.
Which kernel version?
Ubuntu's kernel is still tainted, and Ubuntu distributes and promotes proprietary software.
http://www.ubuntu.com/news/opera9
http://www.ubuntu.com/news/unison-unified-communications
http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/multiverse/
http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/restricted/
http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/multiverse/f/flashplugin-nonfree/ etc.
http://www.fsf.org/resources/hw
Knowing which hardware devices support GNU/Linux is important not only for practical reasons---you want your hardware to work with the software that you want to use---but also for ethical and political reasons. You can help the free software movement by purchasing hardware from manufacturers who support our goals and not purchasing from those who don't.
No, this distro contains code covered by a variety of licenses, not just the GPL.
And RMS doesn't say anything about BSD being non-free, but rather just that copyleft is his way to ensure that everyone receiving a copy of the GPL licensed software has the same opportunities as the person or company distributing it.
A lot of wireless cards require non-free firmware, but not all do.
Graphics work well, but the very latest cards don't have 3d, neither do the nVidia cards.
Certainly any laptop with Atheros wireless, Intel graphics and sound is going to work nicely.
While the official Flash player may be unstable, that is a secondary issue to the fact that Adobe continues to attempt to seduce and subjugate our community with its proprietary software offerings.
Gnash and Swfdec now support many sites, with the number increasing all the time. By accepting the odious conditions of the Adobe EULA, the efforts of Gnash and Swfdec are hurt. We need people to refuse to install these plugins, and we need people to put pressure on the distributions and browsers to refuse to cooperate with Adobe.
Often, fighting for our freedom requires sacrifice.
Right. I don't see offerings of any other Android phones on the way.
One you can buy today, one is a possible future offering from Google, T-Mobile and HTC.
One you can buy, and use on any GSM network, one is tied to a particular network, just like the iPhone.
homestar runner is the name of one of the characters. to say he developed strong bad would be weird.
it was developed by two brothers - Mike and Matt Chapman.
and how do I get an application from my own server onto an iPhone?
I don't want to go through Apple. Also, I want to release my application as free software under the GPL, so anyone getting my application needs to be able to modify it and load their modified version onto their phone too.
And blam, can't do that with an iPhone.
I think the idea is that its more convenient this way, but you're right... I also really hope they don't "pull an Apple" on this.
Someone accused me of being a Twitter sockpuppet a few weeks ago. I thought they were referring to Twitter.com.
Thanks for clarifying. I'm certainly not a sockpuppet -- I tend to only post in threads around GNU and GPL. I look after www.gnu.org :)
What does that mean, twitter sockpuppet?
Ask them to change.
I heard about letting people's tires down. What was the damage people were doing?
Also, hitting people is hardly the same as damaging cars -- I don't condone either, but I can see they're different.
Echoing the sentiment of another user who got modded down -- proof or STFU?
Sorry, who's associated with MySQL?
So, let me get this right, you're willing to assault people, for asking questions of a computer company?
Did you read the article? This is about Apple's DRM GPS, and proprietary formats on the iPhone.
The angst is because it's Apple, and people see them as a bunch of lovely people who only exist to make the world better, and not the proprietarist DRM vendors they really are.
My sig that encourages people to join the FSF? I don't think it's a noble crusade to work in an Apple store, but if you take a job there, you should be aware that maybe, just maybe, not everyone is such a fan of Apple as some of the people you see.
The FSF doesn't support software that doesn't give the four basic freedoms to its users.
It has nothing to do with whether the software is sold.