Stallman was ALMOST right.
The fight is not about which programs the user can run, but who controls the user data
The fight is not about which programs the user can run, but who controls the user data
Control of data is a related problem. It's absolutely relevant but it's not in any way opposed to computing freedom. In fact, they are aligned. Computing freedom helps us retain control of our data even when faced with hostile corporations.
The move to ARM will highlight the hardware freedom in a big way.
People are used to ARM being different and are that much more likely to forget open, general purpose computing right along with that "old" x86...
Heh, I always disliked x86. But now? I look at it fondly.
Strange times.
Edit: It is the IBM PC lineage I speak of here, not just the ISA.
We do!
[Looks over at Apple //e and IBM XT]
We need another open effort. Soon.
Remember the drama about whether Linux would be allowed to run under Secure Boot at all? That was last decade's reminder about hardware freedom and it had nothing to do with a new ISA. Thankfully Microsoft graciously decided that all Windows 8 logo hardware should allow users to load their own keys, but there's nothing intrinsic about the PC platform that forced them to make that decision, and nothing forcing them to keep it.
* This Ars article seems to say it's already been taken away. I'm trying to confirm Microsoft's current UEFI requirements in their docs, but I can't find them. https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/03/windo...
There is something intrinsic to the PC: expectations.
The PC comes from a time where we got schematics, could build our own I/O cards...
None of that happened on mobile, and most ARM devices. Maybe the Acorn Archimedes...
And what I meant is ARM will highlight the LACK of hardware freedom. Maybe we agree here and got snagged on words?
Frankly, I am learning how to build more things. Probably will need to.
They do hold the keys. That is the unacceptable part.
Exactly. The issue isn't the TPM itself, such a device could even empower us. The issue is who holds the keys. Those with the keys own the machine.
I started discussion about that in this thread:
It's worse than not having the right to execute. You can't even build the program you want. You have to use Apple pay, Apple subscriptions, Apple login. And you don't even get a relationship with your customer.
Truly draconian.
Their behavior is inexcusable but not surprising; what baffles me is that it's allowed.
We are still headed directly to the place he described.
And the fight to stay in control of your data is far easier when you use Free Software.
But the user data is mostly in the cloud, owned by Apple, MS, Google, Amazon, Facebook.
In the future we will be lucky to have apps that work offline with local data.
Are you from the past? This here is 2021. And right here, the expensive, professional apps still lets you grudgingly do it, but small/casual apps that work really offline? That became rare. Usually it is mainly server and some local cache, you better take care of, if you are in an area with bad connection.
But more and more of my peers realize, how much spotify sucks, when there is suddenly no more internet.
Well, I still have my own music collection(and my own player for it) and use spotify just for discovery. Each to his own and thank you, for the existence of open source and foss.
And they get removed after some time.
I do not have single small/casual app I paid for or free ones that does not work with offline data.
Some things were so horrible, not even Stallman could imagine them happening in his worst nightmares.