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Re: [OT] Re: realplay.el interface with Real Player v. 1879


From: Joost Kremers
Subject: Re: [OT] Re: realplay.el interface with Real Player v. 1879
Date: 27 Jul 2007 14:33:19 GMT
User-agent: slrn/0.9.8.1 (Linux)

Richard Stallman wrote:
> By using Oracle, you're giving up your freedom.  It may be convenient,
> or even profitable, but it isn't right.

that, i believe, is a debatable issue. we all believe in the freedom of
speech, but yet society accepts the fact that this right is restricted in
certain ways. for example, if i start working for a certain company, i
accept that there are limits to what i can publically say about that
company. if i publically present that company in a negative way, it would
generally be considered acceptable if my employer were to fire me.

now, one might argue that it is therefore immoral to enter into an
employer-employee relationship. however, such relationships are inevitable
in our society (and generally considered to be more moral than one
alternative, slavery.)

my point is, giving up certain freedoms in a limited manner may be a valid
choice from a pragmatic point of view. and that is how i tend to see
proprietary software: as a valid choice that can be made on practical
grounds.

i agree that in principle, unfreeness is not good, and should be restricted
as much as possible. therefore mechanisms should be in place to ensure that
the unfreeness doesn't spread beyond a certain level of (practical)
acceptability. for example, no-one should be forced to use proprietary
software. (again, the employer-employee-relationship can, in my view, be an
exception to this rule.) this means, for example, that data storage and
data transfer should be handled with unpatented, open standards for data
formats and communications protocols, so that it is possible to develop
free software that understands these formats and protocols. only in this
way can it be prevented that someone is not *forced* to use, say, MS-Word
to write and submit a job application. but the right to choose to use
MS-Word (and thereby by his own choice give up some of the freedoms that he
is entitled to), should not be taken away.


-- 
Joost Kremers                                      address@hidden
Selbst in die Unterwelt dringt durch Spalten Licht
EN:SiS(9)


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