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GNU Taler 0.0.0 released

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Re: GNU Taler 0.0.0 released

#181

Post by stephenr »

sidhu1f wrote: post #176
coldtea wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What makes you so sure that, had the GNU stack been BSD/MIT licensed and as popular, that Microsoft etc. would not have come out with products featuring the same software but with proprietary extensions and closed licenses? Was makes you so sure that it would matter? The original software will still be there and free for any modification one would want to do.

A majority (if not most) of the contributions to the Linux kernel come from developers paid to do so by the likes of Intel, Google, IBM etc. [1]. Do you have any reason to believe that said for-profit companies would have contributed to the same degree to a BSD/MIT licensed Linux kernel instead of focusing on a Linux kernel with proprietary extensions under a closed license? [1] http://www.linuxfoundation.org/news-me…

Do you have reason to believe that they wouldn't have, or that they would do so, if it were GPL3+ licensed?

Apple famously doesn't provide any "recent" GNU tools because they're GPL3+ licensed, when they were previously GPL2.x and less restrictive.

Re: GNU Taler 0.0.0 released

#182

Post by shrugger »

illivah wrote: post #170
shrugger wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

GNU projects are really awesome until people start implementing them.

Yeah, nothing they've ever done was a success...?

If you want to hand over all of your financial dealings to any government that wants to look at them, go right ahead. If GNU projects are so wonderful, then I should applaud those who stand by them.

Re: GNU Taler 0.0.0 released

#183

Post by LNMNMMMC »

sbierwagen wrote: post #102
exstudent2 wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's funny that you think you're buying civilization with your taxes when the vasty majority of the money you give the government is used to actively destroy civilization. Bombs aren't cheap.

Vast majority? Military spending is only 15.75% of the US federal budget. And that's just federal spending, citizens also pay taxes to states and municipalities, which rarely field combat aircraft.

With State and local spending, Military comes to ~10% of our tax dollars.

Re: GNU Taler 0.0.0 released

#184

Post by MatthewWilkes »

cornstalks wrote: post #43
dunkelheit wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find 0.0.x versions wacky too. Version numbers (in contrast to array subscripts) are only useful in relation to previous version numbers. Ideally when a new version of the software I use comes out I can decide whether to upgrade only by comparing the version number with the one I use. E.g. in semver increased minor number means "new functionality added". So when 0.0.0 version comes out, what does it mean, compared…

What does 0.0.1 mean, compared to the absence of software? You can't compare 0.0.1 to anything if there's no other previous release. Starting at 0.0.1 is at least just as arbitrary as starting at 0.0.0, and your aversion to starting at 0.0.0 suggests you're making implicit assumptions about what the non-existent 0.0.0 means when starting at 0.0.1. But if 0.0.0 doesn't even exist then you can't really make any assumpt…

For me, personally, 1.0.0 feels right as the first version. Compared to nothing, the first release is a major and there have been no minors.

I guess I don't really see version numbers as indexes but as cardinals, hence why leading zeroes seem weird to me.

Re: GNU Taler 0.0.0 released

#185

Post by tobltobs »

rglullis wrote: post #154
wstrange wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I honestly don't get all the libertarian angst about paying taxes. As a Canadian, I pay a lot of tax. I grumble a bit during tax season - but I am incredibly grateful that I was lucky enough to be born in a prosperous country. A good part of my sucess (education, health care, etc) was paid for by other peoples taxes. So I am quite happy to return the favour. I also want to live in a society that is compassionate and…

(I really shouldn't get into this discussion, as it seems that the HN crowd is down-voting everyone that slightly disagrees with the Big Government and is not into Populist Governments - whether Republican or Democrat. Alas, those are just Internet points and I do think the conversation can be productive.) You live in a developed country that is natural resource-rich, with an established middle class and a somewhat f…

It's funny that you take private health insurance as an example for a better working system. Those private health insurances are only open to better earning individuals. That's a concept which those evil downvoters here on HN do reject.

Re: GNU Taler 0.0.0 released

#186

Post by rglullis »

tobltobs wrote: post #185
rglullis wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

(I really shouldn't get into this discussion, as it seems that the HN crowd is down-voting everyone that slightly disagrees with the Big Government and is not into Populist Governments - whether Republican or Democrat. Alas, those are just Internet points and I do think the conversation can be productive.) You live in a developed country that is natural resource-rich, with an established middle class and a somewhat f…

It's funny that you take private health insurance as an example for a better working system. Those private health insurances are only open to better earning individuals. That's a concept which those evil downvoters here on HN do reject.

And it's funny how you'd rather downvote me reflexively instead of finding a way to engage in an useful exchange of ideas. Please, do not downvote because of disagreement. I am voting you up as a sign of confidence that you can do better.

Let's try again, then: please tell me what is inherently bad at having options for "better earning individuals"? And what guarantees can be given by you that your proposal for a "fully-public" healthcare system would be more effective than the existing ones?

It is very easy to say "If Canada/Denmark/Sweden can do it, the US can do it as well", but for every well-reputed public system in the world, there is a bigger number of total disgraceful care systems around the world.

> That's a concept which those evil downvoters here on HN want to prevent.

The evil part is not in the downvoting. The evil part is in joining the mob rule, acting without any critical thought just because and just side along with your group identity, and in the end still consider yourself "being part of the good ones".

What is that you want to prevent?

Me, a supposedly middle-class citizen, of being able to make a choice?

For whose benefit? Will the poor and less fortunate be in a better situation if we force everyone else to be stripped of their choices?

At what cost? Are the countries with actual "universal, single-payer healthcare" being the most effective when managing the resources from their citizens?

Re: GNU Taler 0.0.0 released

#187

Post by DanBC »

rglullis wrote: post #186
tobltobs wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's funny that you take private health insurance as an example for a better working system. Those private health insurances are only open to better earning individuals. That's a concept which those evil downvoters here on HN do reject.

And it's funny how you'd rather downvote me reflexively instead of finding a way to engage in an useful exchange of ideas. Please, do not downvote because of disagreement. I am voting you up as a sign of confidence that you can do better. Let's try again, then: please tell me what is inherently bad at having options for "better earning individuals"? And what guarantees can be given by you that your proposal for a "fu…

You keep mentioning voting. Some people reflexively downvote any post that talks about votes. If you didn't mention voting you may get fewer downvotes.

Re: GNU Taler 0.0.0 released

#188

Post by rglullis »

DanBC wrote: post #187
rglullis wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And it's funny how you'd rather downvote me reflexively instead of finding a way to engage in an useful exchange of ideas. Please, do not downvote because of disagreement. I am voting you up as a sign of confidence that you can do better. Let's try again, then: please tell me what is inherently bad at having options for "better earning individuals"? And what guarantees can be given by you that your proposal for a "fu…

You keep mentioning voting. Some people reflexively downvote any post that talks about votes. If you didn't mention voting you may get fewer downvotes.

I don't care about getting the votes. I do care about pointing out irrational behavior.

In this case, I am pretty sure it was the person I responded to because I saw the karma score drop right along with the response to my previous comment.

Re: GNU Taler 0.0.0 released

#189

Post by rglullis »

aninhumer wrote: post #167
rglullis wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

(I really shouldn't get into this discussion, as it seems that the HN crowd is down-voting everyone that slightly disagrees with the Big Government and is not into Populist Governments - whether Republican or Democrat. Alas, those are just Internet points and I do think the conversation can be productive.) You live in a developed country that is natural resource-rich, with an established middle class and a somewhat f…

> it seems that the HN crowd is down-voting everyone that slightly disagrees with the Big Government and is not into Populist Governments HN downvotes libertarians who take the rhetorical position that "tax is theft" (or otherwise inherently immoral), because it's intellectually shallow. There are many reasonable arguments to be made for reduced taxation, and you have presented many of them above. "Tax is theft" is n…

> because it's intellectually shallow.

Still, the drive-by downvote is not helpful. It just helps to polarize and removes any chance of discussion. This becomes a gold mine to the populists.

Re: GNU Taler 0.0.0 released

#190

Post by tobltobs »

rglullis wrote: post #186
tobltobs wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's funny that you take private health insurance as an example for a better working system. Those private health insurances are only open to better earning individuals. That's a concept which those evil downvoters here on HN do reject.

And it's funny how you'd rather downvote me reflexively instead of finding a way to engage in an useful exchange of ideas. Please, do not downvote because of disagreement. I am voting you up as a sign of confidence that you can do better. Let's try again, then: please tell me what is inherently bad at having options for "better earning individuals"? And what guarantees can be given by you that your proposal for a "fu…

Cool down, i didn't downvote you.

> please tell me what is inherently bad at having options for "better earning individuals"?

The problem with that is that such a system doesn't work for a public health insurance if rich people can avoid their contribution to solidarity. If at all you will have system of two classes of people like we had in the middle age. Germany already has this two class system within their health system.

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