Insanity: the Stallman trap [LWN.net]

Insanity: the Stallman trap

Posted Mar 23, 2009 4:52 UTC (Mon) by mheily (guest, #27123)
Parent article: Stallman: the JavaScript trap

The idea of a web browser that only loads "free" JavaScript is going to be *very* popular. There is clearly a huge demand for web browsers that are unable to access Google, Yahoo, and other major sites. Look out, Internet Explorer -- all freedom-loving users will be switching to the GNU Web Browser! I can see millions of web developers adopting this idea and adding the appropriate GPLv3 license tags to all their JavaScript source code. Who wouldn't?

This idea makes as much sense as writing a complete clone of the Unix operating system but leaving out one important piece: the kernel.

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Re: Insanity: the Stallman trap

Posted Mar 23, 2009 5:46 UTC (Mon) by JesseW (subscriber, #41816) [Link]

Um. You were doing alright up until the last sentence, in making your screed against Stallman and the FSF. But, as for the GNU goal of making a clone of the Unix system, and releasing the pieces as they were usable, we *know* how well that worked out. Extremely well: it improved the state of the art for the Unix tools, was (and is) used in a vast array of places, and provided the basis and example for the creation of fully FOSS operating systems.

If that success is what you are comparing Stallman's GPL-your-JavaScript efforts to, you are giving it the highest of praise.

Making sense

Posted Mar 23, 2009 6:11 UTC (Mon) by pjm (guest, #2080) [Link]

The article makes several proposals; a web browser that only loads "free" JavaScript does not seem to be one of them.

Also, note that the proposals don't require cooperation from millions of web developers, at least no more than the Free Software we use today requires the cooperation of proprietary software developers.

It makes sense to be able to modify software that we run; I don't think anyone here doubts that. The article proposes a feasible means of modifying the software that we run. So it seems strange to me for you to suggest that it makes no sense.

Please refrain from sarcasm: it may get a laugh, but it tends to discourage constructive discussion that actually helps us.

Insanity: the Stallman trap

Posted Mar 23, 2009 8:17 UTC (Mon) by job (guest, #670) [Link] (1 responses)

Go away or I will replace you with a short Perl script.

(Oh, something along "while (<STDIN>) { if (/free software/i) { IncoherentRant; } }". Thanks for asking.)

[ot] -e s/signal/chuckle/

Posted Mar 23, 2009 9:58 UTC (Mon) by k3ninho (subscriber, #50375) [Link]

>replace you with a short Perl script
The example you list is quite a long Perl script.