On Thu, Aug 8, 2019 at 9:44 PM Moritz Maxeiner <m...@ucw.sh> wrote: > In my opinion the spirit (if not the wording) of the "libre" in FLOSS is > primarily (and if not should be) about minimizing the restrictions placed > upon > source code (and after that about minimizing restrictions placed on > users); > allowing someone to not publish modifications - in my mind - amounts to > allowing them to place a restriction on source code that it hadn't had > previously. >
Curious: Since I have the capability to write software, but I decide not to write some specific software, does that constitute a restriction on the source code of this hypothetical software? There are no new restriction on source code that hadn't previously been restrictricted. What we are discussing is a new restriction (disallowing privacy) in relation to source code that didn't previously exist. Our community should be trying to protect privacy, not suggesting that disallowing privacy is a matter of protecting liberty (Yes, same logic that "intellegence" agencies use to suggest massive surveilance is a requirement of security). In my mind this policy reduces the amount of source code that will exist (be written), and thus be an overall loss of software. I'm being honest in having a hard time understading why people believe that these types of privacy restrictions will increase the amount of publicly distributed source code (for those who think source code is a goal unto itself, rather than only one tool towards a larger goal). BTW: The "libre" comes from the more clear french "Logiciel libre", which doesn't have the confusion about the meaning of the english word "free". P.S. My question isn't hypothetical. There are enhancements to software I've decided not to author because the original software was licensed under the AGPL. -- Russell McOrmond, Internet Consultant: <http://www.flora.ca/> Please help us tell the Canadian Parliament to protect our property rights as owners of Information Technology. Sign the petition! http://l.c11.ca/ict/ "The government, lobbied by legacy copyright holders and hardware manufacturers, can pry my camcorder, computer, home theatre, or portable media player from my cold dead hands!" http://c11.ca/own
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