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Richard Stallman Collapses At Barcelona Conference

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Re: Richard Stallman Collapses At Barcelona Conference

#151

Post by zdouglas »

redthrowaway wrote: post #98
benihana wrote: post #76

This presents an interesting situation. Is Stallman okay with being hooked up to medical computers even though they may not be running free software? What about the privacy issues involved in being checked into a hospital?

I'm not rms, and I don't speak for him, but his opposition to non-free software is predicated upon the claim that it harms the user. As death is arguably a greater harm than any non-free software could inflict, I suspect he would say that it is not wrong to use non-free software to save a life if no free alternative is readily available. You can ask him yourself, if you want: rms@fsf.org He replies to almost all emai…

> The only way I could justify this is if I began developing a free replacement for that very program.

If the Oracle suit taught me anything, it's to be careful when using APIs.

Re: Richard Stallman Collapses At Barcelona Conference

#152

Post by lumberjack »

kprobst wrote: post #72

One of these days it's going to be for real and I wonder how many of his fans will be enraged when someone says something like "I'm not glad he's dead, but I'm glad he's gone".

Why would people even hate Richard Stallman, anyway?

It's perfectly OK to attack his ideologies but I don't see why you'd hate him personally as if he's some villain that is hurting people in some way or another. The guy is merely advocating his ideals. He's not enforcing them. He's not dominating any markets and enforcing his ideologies on people. He's not profiting of his ideologies. He doesn't even enjoy any power. If you don't like him, you can easily ignore him. You won't be affected.

Re: Richard Stallman Collapses At Barcelona Conference

#153

Post by mikegerwitz »

benihana wrote: post #76

This presents an interesting situation. Is Stallman okay with being hooked up to medical computers even though they may not be running free software? What about the privacy issues involved in being checked into a hospital?

http://stallman.org/stallman-computing.html

> However, if I am visiting somewhere and the machines available nearby happen to contain non-free software, through no doing of mine, I don't refuse to touch them. I will use them briefly for tasks such as browsing. This limited usage doesn't give my assent to the software's license, or make me responsible its being present in the computer, or make me the possessor of a copy of it, so I don't see an ethical obligation to refrain from this. Of course, I explain why they should migrate the machines to free software, but I don't push them hard, because that would be counterproductive.

Re: Richard Stallman Collapses At Barcelona Conference

#154

Post by jscn »

Lockyy wrote: post #77
padolsey wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Silencing dialogue, no matter how repulsive it may seem to you, is never the answer, especially in a "free" and "open" society.

Do you oppose automated hell-banning here? It has lead to people being hell-banned for inoffensive things, the worst I've seen is someone hell-banned because their double post got such a large amount of down-votes.

HN is owned privately and everyone's ability to use it is at pg's discretion. pg has no duty, implied or otherwise, to provide a platform on which the principles of free speech hold. This is not true of society at large. You seem to be conflating the two.

Re: Richard Stallman Collapses At Barcelona Conference

#155

Post by jiggy2011 »

tzs wrote: post #142
mikebike wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This Stallman quote (transcript from an interview) may be instructive here: "And the issue doesn't really arise for software that goes in a watch or a microwave oven or an automobile ignition system. Because those are places where you don't download software to install. It's not a real computer, as far as the user is concerned. And so, it doesn't raise these issues enough for them to be ethically important." Source:…

A similar argument could be made about software running on servers, and circa that same time as that quote on microwave ovens I believe Stallman in fact took the position that servers did not raise such issues either. He's changed his mind about servers since then, so I wonder if he also has since changed his mind on devices?

IIRC he's fine with servers that are simply used to publish information but he does not use SaaS type websites unless they are free software and he has control of his data.

Re: Richard Stallman Collapses At Barcelona Conference

#157

Post by dsrguru »

bostonpete wrote: post #116
zackzackzack wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If it were anyone but Stallman, I would have thought you were being an ass about the situation. But realistically, I could see that being a concern for him and his ethics. I hope he doesn't die on principle quite yet though. There aren't too many FOSS clinics AFAIK.

I don't see how it would realistically be a concern for him. That's like saying he wouldn't be willing to get on a plane or drive a car b/c they use closed source software...

I wouldn't put it past him. A friend of mine who has worked for the FSF told me that Stallman won't even use the web. He emails his employees to look things up for him because he assumes web sites to be malicious unless he has the entirety of their source accessible.

Re: Richard Stallman Collapses At Barcelona Conference

#158

Post by andrewflnr »

rogerbinns wrote: post #65
ews wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I came here expecting a troll :) in Europe you don't have to rely on Government for health care: you have an array of options in the private sector, which are usually much better (in my experience) than the US private hospitals since they have to compete with a free and good-enough option. Most of the population prefer to use the free, government subsidized health system though.

The health system is not free nor is it government subsidised. It is paid for from taxes, which people pay according to their income. There is no additional charge to then use the system other than paying taxes. (IMHO this is a good thing and it is fair.) In the US it is a complete mess. Half of all healthcare spending is done by the government anyway (Medicare, Medicaid, government employees, army/veterans etc) and…

What is the difference between "subsidized by the government" and "paid for from taxes"? Maybe you could draw a distinction if a specific segment of taxes went to healthcare and nothing else, but that seems a thin semantic distinction at best.

Re: Richard Stallman Collapses At Barcelona Conference

#159

Post by 3143 »

MartinCron wrote: post #137
mhurron wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Moving to the US and having to deal with health insurance makes me nervous. Don't worry, your nervousness will be replaced by anger soon enough.

That's hardly fair. You might feel anger, or you might feel despair. If you're a misanthrope, you'll feel pleasure in watching who can't afford their medical bills fall into complete financial ruin.

Or you might get a health plan that you're perfectly satisfied with, as many people do, and not think about it very much.

Re: Richard Stallman Collapses At Barcelona Conference

#160

Post by Produce »

hkmurakami wrote: post #129
tomrod wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for letting us know. I really like rms, even if I don't agree with his every position. Here's to hoping he gets into good health soon.

RMS is controversial, extreme, and perhaps even crazy. But it's scary to imagine a world without the counterpoint that RMS singularly embodies. In a way, he evokes images of the Dalai Lama: In (metaphorical) exile, regarded as a heretic from many, and revered as a guiding beacon by others.

One step ahead of the curve and you're a genius. Two steps and you're crazy. Three and you're dangerous. RMS#2
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