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diff --git a/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/free-software-rocket.html b/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/free-software-rocket.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f4663a6 --- /dev/null +++ b/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/free-software-rocket.html @@ -0,0 +1,181 @@ +<!--#include virtual="/server/header.html" --> +<!-- Parent-Version: 1.94 --> +<!-- This page is derived from /server/standards/boilerplate.html --> +<title>Should Rockets Have Only Free Software? Free Software and Appliances +- GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title> + <!--#include virtual="/philosophy/po/free-software-rocket.translist" --> +<!--#include virtual="/server/banner.html" --> +<h2>Should Rockets Have Only Free Software? Free Software and Appliances +</h2> + +<address class="byline">by Richard Stallman</address> + +<p>Could there be a rocket that is totally free software? Should we +demand that SpaceX liberate the software in its satellite launching +rockets? I don't think the person who asked me this was serious, but +answering that question may illuminate similar issues about the sorts +of products people really buy today.</p> + +<p>As far as I know, software as such is not capable of generating +thrust. A rocket is necessarily principally a physical device. But +it may include computerized control and telemetry systems, and thus +software.</p> + +<p>If someone offered to sell me a rocket, I would treat it like any +other appliance. Consider, for instance, a thermostat. If it +contains software to be modified, all the software in it needs to be +free. If, however, the software in it need not ever be altered, and +it communicates <em>only</em> through some limited interface, such as buttons +on the control panel, a TV remote control, or a USB interface with a +fixed set of commands, I would not consider it crucial to know what is inside +the thermostat: whether it contains a special-purpose chip, or a +processor running code, makes no direct difference to me as user. If +it does contain code, it might as well have a special chip instead, so +I don't need to care which it is.</p> + +<p>I would object if that thermostat sent someone data about my +activities, regardless of how that was implemented. Once again, +special chip or special code makes no direct difference. Free +software in it could give me a way to turn off the surveillance, but +that is not the only way. Another is by disconnecting its digital +communication antennas, or switching them off.</p> + +<p>If the rocket contains software, releasing that as free software can +be a contribution to the community, and we should appreciate that +contribution—but that is a different issue. Such release also +makes it possible for people who have bought the rockets to work on +improving the software in them, though the irreversible nature of many +rocket failures may discourage tinkering.</p> + +<p>Given the experience of Tesla cars, which are full of surveillance and +tracking malware that Tesla can change but the owner can't, I suppose +SpaceX rockets have that too. If someday rockets are sold like today's +cars and tractors, proprietary software in them would be unjust +(<a href="/philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html"> +https://gnu.org/philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html</a>), +and it would probably be malware (<a href="/malware/malware.html"> +https://gnu.org/malware/</a>). If the +manufacturer could install modified software in it but the owner could +not, that too would be unjust. People are starting to recognize this: +look at the right-to-repair movement, which demands only the beginning +of these freedoms (much less than freeing the car's software) and +nonetheless faces a hard fight.</p> + +<p>However, I don't think SpaceX sells rockets; I think it provides the +service of launching payloads in its own rockets. That makes the +issue totally different: if you are a customer, you're not operating +the rocket; SpaceX is doing that.</p> + +<p>The rocket that SpaceX uses is not like your own car or van, or even a +car or van leased to you. Rather, it's comparable to a moving +company's van that is, for the moment, transporting your books and +furniture to your specified destination. It is the moving company +that deserves control over the software in that van—not the +customer of the moment.</p> + +<p>It makes sense to treat the job of transporting your things to Outer +Mongolia, or to outer space, as a service because the job is mostly +self-contained and mostly independent of the customer (“mostly” +does not mean “absolutely” or “100%”), +so the instructions for the job are simple (take these boxes to address +A by date D).</p> + +<p>But there is one kind of activity which should never be treated as a +service: private computational activity. That's because a private +computational activity is exactly what you could do on your own +computer in freedom, given suitable free software.</p> + +<p>When a program's task is to do computing for you, you are entitled to +demand control over what it does and how, not just that it obey your +orders as it interprets them. You are entitled, in other words, to +use your own copy of a free program, running on a computer you +control.</p> + +<p>No wonder there are companies that would like you to cede control over +your computing activities to them, by labeling those activities as +“services” to be done on their servers with programs that they +control. Even things as minutely directed by the user as text +editing! This is a scheme to get you to substitute their power for +your freedom. We call that “Service as a Software +Substitute”, SaaSS for short (see +<a href="/philosophy/who-does-that-server-really-serve.html"> +https://gnu.org/philosophy/who-does-that-server-really-serve.html</a>), +and we reject it.</p> + +<p>For instance, imagine a hypothetical SpaceX Smart Spaceship, which as +a “service” wants to know all about your business so SpaceX servers +can decide for you what cargoes to buy and sell on which planets. +That planning service would be SaaSS—therefore a dis-service. +Instead of using that dis-service, you should do that planning with +your copy of free software on your own computer.</p> + +<p>SpaceX and others could then legitimately offer you the +non-computational service of transporting cargoes, and you could use +it sometimes; or you could choose some other method, perhaps to buy a +spaceship and operate it yourself.</p> + + +</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 contributing 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 contributing translations +of this article.</p> +</div> + +<!-- Regarding copyright, in general, standalone pages (as opposed to + files generated as part of manuals) on the GNU web server should + be under CC BY-ND 4.0. Please do NOT change or remove this + without talking with the webmasters or licensing team first. + Please make sure the copyright date is consistent with the + document. For web pages, it is ok to list just the latest year the + document was modified, or published. + + If you wish to list earlier years, that is ok too. + Either "2001, 2002, 2003" or "2001-2003" are ok for specifying + years, as long as each year in the range is in fact a copyrightable + year, i.e., a year in which the document was published (including + being publicly visible on the web or in a revision control system). + + There is more detail about copyright years in the GNU Maintainers + Information document, www.gnu.org/prep/maintain. --> + +<p>Copyright © 2020 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: 2020/10/09 11:36:53 $ +<!-- timestamp end --> +</p> +</div> +</div><!-- for class="inner", starts in the banner include --> +</body> +</html> |