Richard Stallman Collapses At Barcelona Conference • Hacker News Board

Re: Richard Stallman Collapses At Barcelona Conference

#221

Post by specialist » Fri, May 11, 2012, 2:47 PM UTC

lumberjack wrote: post #147

redthrowaway wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

To continue with the above comment, I'd like to point out that RMS has valid concerns regarding non-free software running inside your body. You don't want to have a buggy pacemaker with unencrypted unprotected wireless access. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/07/27/buggy_pacemaker_code... https://www.softwarefreedom.org/resources/2010/transparent-m... Moreover I don't feel comfortable using a technology that is owne…

Very similar to my concerns for running non-free software inside our democracies.

Re: Richard Stallman Collapses At Barcelona Conference

#222

Post by jk4930 » Fri, May 11, 2012, 3:06 PM UTC

exDM69 wrote: post #210

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?

Medical software is something that should be more free. The software in medical equipment goes through less rigorous review than the rest of the system. There as a recent paper about the review process and closedness of medical software and there is little to no software audits required for getting approval from officials. The first fatalities from software in medical systems were in mid-80's when an X-ray machine ga…

This one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therac-25

Re: Richard Stallman Collapses At Barcelona Conference

#223

Post by Tichy » Fri, May 11, 2012, 3:25 PM UTC

cglace wrote: post #94

me_myselft wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, but in US you have to have a lot of money for receiving a very basic and fundamental human right: medical care...

Why is medical care a fundamental right?

Thinking that way, btw, is bound to make you feel bitter. Why should you pay for other people?

Why not think of it as insurance instead (social security)? Less desperate people means less muggers on the street. Less sick people means less risk to get infected yourself. Plus, should you ever happen to fall on hard times yourself (god forbid), you would be provided for.

I believe in selfishness as the best basis for a society, and I still think it is in favor of social security and public health care.

Discussing fundamental rights is bound to be bullshit. The only right that exists is the right of the stronger party (established by guns, majority votes etc). If the stronger party believes x is a right, it is a right. So if a majority of voters in a democracy is convinced x is a right (perhaps because the better smooth talker convinced them), it can become a right. That is all there is to it. Philosophy is irrelevant.

Re: Richard Stallman Collapses At Barcelona Conference

#224

Post by omaranto » Fri, May 11, 2012, 3:36 PM UTC

alwillis wrote: post #33

planetguy wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow, if only he were in the United States where you don't have to rely on the Government for medical care...

I live in Boston, Massachusetts, where we have universal health care and some of the best doctors and hospitals in the world. They don't have to be mutually exclusive.

I live in Boston too, and I have to say the system does seem pretty good for American citizens and foreigners who are permanent residents; but it's not so hot for foreign families on student visas who are poor by US standards. Schools give health insurance to the student and offer the option of buying very expensive health insurance for the rest of the family, other private health insurance companies won't take the rest of the family without the student signing up as well but the student's school doesn't usually let him or her opt-out of the school's insurance, the goverment run health insurance programs don't take the family because being here for 5 years on a student visa makes them "visitors" and thus ineligible. One affordable but risky option for a healthy family seems to be to not have health insurance and pay for all medical care directly, plus pay the fine for not having the mandatory health insurance --it is a small fraction of the cost of the health insurance.

Re: Richard Stallman Collapses At Barcelona Conference

#225

Post by jsavimbi » Fri, May 11, 2012, 3:46 PM UTC

adrianb wrote: post #192

jsavimbi wrote: post #5

> Richard Stallman: "Rajoy nos quiere matar a todos" RMS: "Rajoy (Spain's president) wants to kill us all." Well there you go, Richard.

President? I think you mean prime minister.

No, I did not mean prime minister.

In Spain, the head of state is the monarch and the head of the elected government is known as the "Presidente del Gobierno", or president of the government. Although a counterpart can be found in other parliamentarian systems such as the prime minister in the UK, the Spanish president of government is not primus inter pares but the undisputed head of the government.

Re: Richard Stallman Collapses At Barcelona Conference

#226

Post by darklajid » Fri, May 11, 2012, 3:55 PM UTC

ktizo wrote: post #214

Tichy wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No offense, but wouldn't that imply that you are stupid when not drunk, as you consciously decide to get drunk?

I can be amazingly stupid when sober, this is true, especially for the first 30 minutes after waking up. But to really screw things up there is normally booze involved. As for consciously deciding to get drunk when sober, I normally decide to get tipsy. It is when I am tipsy that I decide to get absolutely hammered. But then again according to statistics, drinkers live longer, have more sex and have higher IQs than t…

Now THAT explanation made me smile. I drink to that.

Re: Richard Stallman Collapses At Barcelona Conference

#227

Post by belorn » Fri, May 11, 2012, 4:29 PM UTC

mibbitier wrote: post #182

Produce wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Actually, I believe he's behind the curve. There was a time when some of the things he talks about mattered (1980s), and that time has long gone. The general public don't buy "computers" to tinker with any more. They buy them just like they buy a toaster. As an appliance to use. The software or hardware it runs is irrelevant. All that matters is the user experience, and if it fulfils the purpose - does it make good t…

The big problem with software embedded in hardware is accountability. Today, if your car crash, it could be human error, or a software error. Yet, accountability has not moved with the times, and only the human error is looked at. Fix accountability for the software and I for one will treat it as the same as the hardware.

Re: Richard Stallman Collapses At Barcelona Conference

#228

Post by MartinCron » Fri, May 11, 2012, 5:10 PM UTC

3143 wrote: post #159

MartinCron wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

You're totally right. I forgot the solipsists. But I don't feel too bad, because they always forget about me, too.

Re: Richard Stallman Collapses At Barcelona Conference

#229

Post by rhaphazard » Fri, May 11, 2012, 7:09 PM UTC

mibbitier wrote: post #211

__alexs wrote: post #208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The general public don't buy "computers" to tinker with any more. They buy them just like they buy a toaster. You say that like it's at all relevant to the problem. RMS isn't about helping people "tinker" with computers. He's about something much bigger than that. Freedom from monopoly business models.

Monopoly business models are only bad, if the monopoly is abused, or if the user is getting a bad deal. Google has an absolute monopoly on search, but it's still providing the best search out there, so I use it.

Monopolies never work. Check out 'The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires' by Tim Wu http://amzn.to/JGc0zv History will only repeat itself, but with greater and more severe repercussions for our apathy and ignorance.

Re: Richard Stallman Collapses At Barcelona Conference

#230

Post by rogerbinns » Fri, May 11, 2012, 7:12 PM UTC

jopt wrote: post #215

rogerbinns wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The OP wording implied that the healthcare was free and the costs were mostly borne by "them" (the government). Although it is technically correct that the government is the people/tax payers, voter turnout has (mostly) been steadily decreasing. For non-voters the government is "them", not "us".

Don't you mean "for non-tax-payers?"

Everyone is a tax payer. Based on income the amount you may end up paying on your tax return is zero. Of course no one actually ends up paying zero. There are usually sales or value added taxes. Even if those direct taxes do not exist, you'll still pay indirect taxes. When you buy a product or consume a service the amount that goes back to the producer includes money that they then use to pay taxes.