Perfection is the enemy of good

Posted Oct 15, 2025 11:10 UTC (Wed) by khim (subscriber, #9252)
In reply to: Perfection is the enemy of good by mikebenden
Parent article: The FSF's Librephone project

The whole premise that there is “the line” to respect is flawed. In a world where physical objects are created from software (not just VHDL or Verilog, but 3D printing, too) such line doesn't exist.

That means that “world without proprietary software” that FSF wanted to build doesn't exist too.

But that doesn't mean that freedom doesn't matter… it does. Just the goal worth pursuing is not to attempt to achieve some kind of nirvana without proprietary software, but to reduce dependency on third-party, closed, solutions.

And if you put it like that then drawing few meaningful lines becomes pretty easy. Just not the ultimate line that everyone may agree on, once and for all.

Perfection is the enemy of good

Posted Oct 15, 2025 11:56 UTC (Wed) by DOT (subscriber, #58786) [Link]

I understand the need for an imaginary "line" between hardware and software, because the FSF wants to reduce its scope. In an ideal world, all tech (regardless of hardware or software) would be free and open, but that does not seem to be feasible due to market forces. Capitalism drives innovation, but it also encourages secrecy and exploitation.

Against all odds, free software seems to have become a successful minority in the software landscape. On the other hand, free hardware is very much relegated to the margins. So if you don't draw a line somewhere, you can only conclude that freedom is currently completely out of reach. But whenever you *do* draw a line, you'll get unintended consequences, because the line indeed doesn't really make sense.

To end on a hopeful note: free hardware might get a little boost from the recent Right to Repair movement and legislation. That might end up creating a market and legal environment in which full-stack tech freedom becomes feasible.