Richard Stallman’s Hypocritical Stance on Cell Phones • Hacker News Board

Re: Richard Stallman’s Hypocritical Stance on Cell Phones

#11

Post by phamilton » Thu, Oct 27, 2011, 7:03 PM UTC

deadcyclo wrote: post #9

This blog post is just silly, and in my own opinion nothing more than failed linkbait. In no way, shape, or form is this hypocritical. By borrowing a phone, RMS is not making the person he is borrowing it from more trackable. They already made up their minds to own a phone, thus being trackable. Neither is he making it easier to listen in on them (he actually is making it harder). Finally in no way, shape, or form is…

But isn't the point of RMS to set the example of how the rest of us should only use free software?

That's like Ghandi asking a random passerby to slap someone for him.

Re: Richard Stallman’s Hypocritical Stance on Cell Phones

#12

Post by rbanffy » Thu, Oct 27, 2011, 7:03 PM UTC

h_r wrote: post #5

rbanffy wrote: post #2

Seems perfectly coherent. How would someone track me through your phone?

He said hypocritical, not incoherent.

There are not many ways to be hypocritical and not be somehow incoherent.

Re: Richard Stallman’s Hypocritical Stance on Cell Phones

#13

Post by cmorrisrsg » Thu, Oct 27, 2011, 7:17 PM UTC

This is only hypocritical if when Stallman says "phone", he always means "cell phone". Just to be a devil's advocate, he could be talking about a landline which generally doesn't track movement, doesn't run software, and doesn't get turned into a listening device.

Re: Richard Stallman’s Hypocritical Stance on Cell Phones

#14

Post by deadcyclo » Thu, Oct 27, 2011, 7:20 PM UTC

phamilton wrote: post #11

deadcyclo wrote: post #9

This blog post is just silly, and in my own opinion nothing more than failed linkbait. In no way, shape, or form is this hypocritical. By borrowing a phone, RMS is not making the person he is borrowing it from more trackable. They already made up their minds to own a phone, thus being trackable. Neither is he making it easier to listen in on them (he actually is making it harder). Finally in no way, shape, or form is…

But isn't the point of RMS to set the example of how the rest of us should only use free software? That's like Ghandi asking a random passerby to slap someone for him.

Not quite sure about this comparison. AFAIK Ghandi is famous for living by example. I have never heard or read about RMS saying anything about living by his example. I have however, heard him talk about that he lives by his own principles because they matter to him. And he tells you explicitly what he considers you to be, if you have other opinions than him.

Last time I went to one of his lectures he clearly stated that you should do you best to avoid using proprietary software _for your own good_, while he said that creators of proprietary software were evil.

I have a hard time seeing this as hypocritical, unless he actually goes on record stating that «you should not own a mobile phone, and you should never ask to borrow a mobile phone when needed».