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author | Christian Grothoff <christian@grothoff.org> | 2020-10-11 13:29:45 +0200 |
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committer | Christian Grothoff <christian@grothoff.org> | 2020-10-11 13:29:45 +0200 |
commit | 1ae0306a3cf2ea27f60b2d205789994d260c2cce (patch) | |
tree | 53117a55c27601e92172ea82f1d8cd11d355c06c /talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/second-sight.html | |
parent | 2e665813a44988bfd906c0fab773f82652047841 (diff) | |
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diff --git a/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/second-sight.html b/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/second-sight.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d9d9dc4 --- /dev/null +++ b/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/second-sight.html @@ -0,0 +1,144 @@ +<!--#include virtual="/server/header.html" --> +<!-- Parent-Version: 1.86 --> + +<title>Free Software and (e-)Government - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title> + +<!--#include virtual="/philosophy/po/second-sight.translist" --> +<!--#include virtual="/server/banner.html" --> + +<h2>Free Software and (e-)Government</h2> + +<div class="announcement"> +<blockquote><p>This article originally appeared in The Guardian +— March 3, 2005</p></blockquote> +</div> + +<p>by <a href="http://www.stallman.org/">Richard Stallman</a></p> + +<p> +The UK government has funded the development of software useful for +e-government, and now doesn't know what to do with it. Someone had the +bright idea to hand it over to local councils, inviting them to turn +themselves into software companies. +</p> + +<p> +The public have already paid to develop this software. Isn't it absurd +to make them pay, now, for permission to use it? Isn't it absurd to +restrict what they can do with it? Alas, such absurdity is not +unusual; it is standard practice for governments to deliver publicly +funded software into private hands, to companies that make the public +— and even the government — beg for permission to use it +afterwards. +</p> + +<p> +Even worse, they impose frustrating restrictions on the users, denying +them access to the software's source code, the plans that a programmer +can read and understand and change. All the users get is an +executable, a “black box”, so that they cannot adapt it, +understand it or even verify what it does. +</p> + +<p> +There is a sensible motive for this senseless policy. The motive is to +make sure that someone cares for the software, fixing the problems +that inevitably appear and adapting it to new needs. People used to +believe that having some company control all use of the software, and +keep all users under its thumb, was the only way to do this. +</p> + +<p> +Today, we know another way: free software (also known +as <a href="/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html"> open +source</a> or Foss). Free software means the users are free to use +this software, redistribute it, study it, or even extend it to do more +jobs. +</p> + +<p> +The word “free” refers to freedom, not price; think +“free speech”, not “free beer”. When there are +users that value support and are willing to pay for it, free software +means a free market for support, instead of a monopoly. Free software +also offers government agencies a way to fulfil their responsibility +to maintain sovereign control over the state's computers, and not let +that control fall into private hands. +</p> + +<p> +Since 1984, groups of volunteers have developed and maintained +powerful and useful free programs — a few at first, then entire +operating systems such as GNU/Linux and BSD. Today, +the <a href="http://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Main_Page">Free Software Directory</a> +lists almost 4,000 free software packages. The UK government has already +decided to increase its use of free software; here is a perfect opportunity to +both use it and contribute. +</p> + +<p> +The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister should make the e-government +programs free software, set up a site to host their development, and +hire a handful of people to oversee the work. Then governments around +the world will begin to use this software, fix it, extend it, and +contribute the improvements back. +</p> + +<p> +The whole world will benefit, and all the users will admire Britain's +leadership. +</p> + +<pre> +-- Richard Stallman launched the GNU operating system (www.gnu.org) in + 1984 and founded the Free Software Foundation (fsf.org) in 1985. +</pre> + +</div><!-- for id="content", starts in the include above --> + +<!--#include virtual="/server/footer.html" --> +<div id="footer"> +<div class="unprintable"> + +<p>Please send general FSF & GNU inquiries to +<a href="mailto:gnu@gnu.org"><gnu@gnu.org></a>. +There are also <a href="/contact/">other ways to contact</a> +the FSF. Broken links and other corrections or suggestions can be sent +to <a href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org"><webmasters@gnu.org></a>.</p> + +<p><!-- TRANSLATORS: Ignore the original text in this paragraph, + replace it with the translation of these two: + + We work hard and do our best to provide accurate, good quality + translations. However, we are not exempt from imperfection. + Please send your comments and general suggestions in this regard + to <a href="mailto:web-translators@gnu.org"> + <web-translators@gnu.org></a>.</p> + + <p>For information on coordinating and submitting translations of + our web pages, see <a + href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations + README</a>. --> +Please see the <a +href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations +README</a> for information on coordinating and submitting translations +of this article.</p> +</div> + +<p>Copyright © 2005, 2017, 2018 Richard Stallman</p> + +<p>This page is licensed under a <a rel="license" +href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">Creative +Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.</p> + +<!--#include virtual="/server/bottom-notes.html" --> + +<p class="unprintable">Updated: +<!-- timestamp start --> +$Date: 2018/12/15 14:02:38 $ +<!-- timestamp end --> +</p> +</div> +</div><!-- for class="inner", starts in the banner include --> +</body> +</html> |