freeSoftware.html 13 KB

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  19. <title>Do users control the software they use?</title>
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  85. <article class="h-entry">
  86. <header>
  87. <h1 class="p-name">Do users control the software they use?</h1>
  88. </header>
  89. <section data-field="subtitle" class="p-summary">
  90. ‘Playful cleverness’ as RMS puts it, has been a much awaited jargon for the motivation behind building new things
  91. in computing be it…
  92. </section>
  93. <section data-field="body" class="e-content">
  94. <section name="4ea9" class="section section--body section--first">
  95. <div class="section-divider">
  96. <hr class="section-divider">
  97. </div>
  98. <div class="section-content">
  99. <div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn">
  100. <h3 name="e846" id="e846" class="graf graf--h3 graf--leading graf--title">Do users control the software
  101. they use?</h3>
  102. <p name="d5e1" id="d5e1" class="graf graf--p graf--startsWithSingleQuote graf-after--h3 graf--trailing">
  103. ‘Playful cleverness’ as <a href="https://stallman.org/rms-lifestyle.html"
  104. data-href="https://stallman.org/rms-lifestyle.html" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor"
  105. rel="noopener" target="_blank">RMS</a> puts it, has been a much awaited jargon for the motivation behind
  106. building new things in computing be it software or hardware. A more popular jargon being ‘hacking’ or some
  107. choose a more euphemistic term ‘ethical hacking’ to distinguish themselves from the colloquial pirates.
  108. Ethical, in itself is a subjective term. Would someone call Amazon ‘ethical’ for having <a
  109. href="https://stallman.org/amazon.html" data-href="https://stallman.org/amazon.html"
  110. class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" rel="noopener" target="_blank">universal backdoor(s) in Alexa
  111. and Kindle</a>? Perhaps, a <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html"
  112. data-href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor"
  113. rel="noopener" target="_blank">freedom respecting</a> (in terms of software) person would not.</p>
  114. </div>
  115. </div>
  116. </section>
  117. <section name="7c06" class="section section--body">
  118. <div class="section-divider">
  119. <hr class="section-divider">
  120. </div>
  121. <div class="section-content">
  122. <div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn">
  123. <p name="0c33" id="0c33" class="graf graf--p graf--leading">It’s quite bewildering to see that the software
  124. we use in our daily lives are intrinsically controlling the way we interact with them. These may have
  125. serious <a href="https://stallman.org/google.html" data-href="https://stallman.org/google.html"
  126. class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" rel="noopener" target="_blank">ramifications</a> on privacy and
  127. freedom. What we call as &#39;using&#39; a software is actually turning out be &#39;used by&#39; the
  128. software. For example, we believe that we use Facebook for making friends, following news, communication,
  129. advertising etc but in reality we are being used by social media platforms in giving out private details,
  130. targeted for incessant advertising and acting as a servant for the Government. Do you think Facebook would
  131. not give data to the Government, third parties and data brokers? In fact, Facebook can do whatever they
  132. wish to, <a href="https://stallman.org/facebook.html" data-href="https://stallman.org/facebook.html"
  133. class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" rel="noopener" target="_blank">without any informed consent from
  134. its users</a>. The privacy and usage terms devised by these social media bigwigs are obscure, malicious,
  135. intrusive and ephemeral. Facebook and other social media sites chews on user’s data and spits out targeted
  136. ads which makes the users buy things they don’t need. Public opinions are hugely influenced through these
  137. social networking sites. Anyone can pay Facebook to get their propaganda through.</p>
  138. <p name="81b9" id="81b9" class="graf graf--p graf-after--p graf--trailing">In fact Facebook doesn’t allow
  139. its usage, by blocking users and victimizing them. Yet, I continue to visit that website because it is
  140. built to make people addicted. Checking notifications from people. Every notification pumping a small dose
  141. of dopamine. Man is such a gregarious being that socializing becomes inevitable. These philosophers and
  142. spiritual gurus who preach of aloneness (a made up word I guess because the spell-checker doesn’t seem to
  143. agree), disenchantment, austerity, mindfulness and awareness are doing it through Facebook and other
  144. social media sites. How thoughtful!</p>
  145. </div>
  146. </div>
  147. </section>
  148. <section name="e3ef" class="section section--body">
  149. <div class="section-divider">
  150. <hr class="section-divider">
  151. </div>
  152. <div class="section-content">
  153. <div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn">
  154. <p name="5f51" id="5f51" class="graf graf--p graf--leading">These ways of wisdom is enriched through
  155. experience. Memories are like those binoculars through which we see our present and chart the future
  156. course. Without it we are blind. Every action would be spontaneous and impromptu. No more déjà vu. No more
  157. hesitations and conflicts. Just perpetuity without classification and discernment. This ushers a
  158. possibility. A possibility of a beginning and not a means to an end.</p>
  159. <figure name="c09c" id="c09c" class="graf graf--figure graf-after--p graf--trailing">
  160. <div class="aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked" style="max-width: 600px; max-height: 559px;">
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  162. data-image-id="1*iSWLGPx3ZFgzvHBaAk1_PA.png" data-width="600" data-height="559"
  163. data-is-featured="true" src="../img/stallman.medium.png">
  164. </div>
  165. <figcaption class="imageCaption">What Freedom Means by Michael Pagnotti</figcaption>
  166. </figure>
  167. </div>
  168. </div>
  169. </section>
  170. <section name="3092" class="section section--body">
  171. <div class="section-divider">
  172. <hr class="section-divider">
  173. </div>
  174. <div class="section-content">
  175. <div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn">
  176. <p name="e50a" id="e50a" class="graf graf--p graf--leading graf--trailing">One fine night, just about
  177. midnight I woke up and realized the mention of a <a href="https://ryf.fsf.org/"
  178. data-href="https://ryf.fsf.org/" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" rel="noopener"
  179. target="_blank">freedom respecting hardware</a>. A <a
  180. href="https://www.flashedtech.com/product-page/libreboot-x200s-notebook-8gb-ram-256ssd"
  181. data-href="https://www.flashedtech.com/product-page/libreboot-x200s-notebook-8gb-ram-256ssd"
  182. class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" rel="noopener" target="_blank">notebook</a> which was modified
  183. to allow the users to use it without sacrificing their freedom. Freedom of using the hardware in whichever
  184. way they wished. No hidden backdoors to spy on them. So, went ahead to get a <a
  185. href="https://libreboot.org/" data-href="https://libreboot.org/" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor"
  186. rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">Libre</em> machine</a> with a free
  187. (as in free speech) operating system. Completely customizable to suit my experience. No <a
  188. href="https://www.gnu.org/proprietary/proprietary.html"
  189. data-href="https://www.gnu.org/proprietary/proprietary.html" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor"
  190. rel="noopener" target="_blank">proprietary</a> or confidential programs on it. A day of true liberation
  191. for my computing. Would I call my self with an erstwhile maligned term &#39;Hacker&#39; which now is just
  192. a passé by appending an &#39;Ethical&#39; tag to it? Perhaps, hacking in its true spirit would mean
  193. &#39;playful cleverness’ without any good or evil morality. Morality, still is an issue of societal
  194. acceptance and preferences. More so, an issue of conflict between cults on various disagreements.</p>
  195. </div>
  196. </div>
  197. </section>
  198. <section name="33de" class="section section--body section--last">
  199. <div class="section-divider">
  200. <hr class="section-divider">
  201. </div>
  202. <div class="section-content">
  203. <div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn">
  204. <p name="8255" id="8255" class="graf graf--p graf--leading graf--trailing">In fact, me writing an article on
  205. Medium would be frowned upon if I were a devout follower of the free software philosophy. Simply, because
  206. I’m writing on a website that uses <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html"
  207. data-href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor"
  208. rel="noopener" target="_blank">non-free JavaScript</a>. I tell myself that at the end of the day -
  209. "Neither am I a true conformist or a contentious rebel, but somewhere in between."</p>
  210. </div>
  211. </div>
  212. </section>
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