diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/who-does-that-server-really-serve.html')
| -rw-r--r-- | talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/who-does-that-server-really-serve.html | 81 |
1 files changed, 46 insertions, 35 deletions
diff --git a/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/who-does-that-server-really-serve.html b/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/who-does-that-server-really-serve.html index 5dd5077..bae461e 100644 --- a/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/who-does-that-server-really-serve.html +++ b/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/who-does-that-server-really-serve.html @@ -1,22 +1,25 @@ <!--#include virtual="/server/header.html" --> -<!-- Parent-Version: 1.86 --> +<!-- Parent-Version: 1.96 --> +<!-- This page is derived from /server/standards/boilerplate.html --> +<!--#set var="TAGS" value="essays cultural ns" --> +<!--#set var="DISABLE_TOP_ADDENDUM" value="yes" --> <title>Who Does That Server Really Serve? - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title> - <!--#include virtual="/philosophy/po/who-does-that-server-really-serve.translist" --> <!--#include virtual="/server/banner.html" --> - +<!--#include virtual="/philosophy/ph-breadcrumb.html" --> +<!--GNUN: OUT-OF-DATE NOTICE--> +<!--#include virtual="/server/top-addendum.html" --> +<div class="article reduced-width"> <h2>Who does that server really serve?</h2> -<p>by <strong>Richard Stallman</strong></p> - -<blockquote><p>(The first version was published -in <a href="http://www.bostonreview.net/richard-stallman-free-software-DRM"> -Boston Review</a>.)</p></blockquote> +<address class="byline">by Richard Stallman</address> -<p><strong>On the Internet, proprietary software isn't the only way to +<div class="introduction"> +<p><em>On the Internet, proprietary software isn't the only way to lose your computing freedom. Service as a Software Substitute, or SaaSS, is -another way to give someone else power over your computing.</strong></p> +another way to give someone else power over your computing.</em></p> +</div> <p>The basic point is, you can have control over a program someone else wrote (if it's free), but you can never have control over a @@ -28,7 +31,7 @@ running a program would do.</p> substitute for running your copy of a program. The term is ours; articles and ads won't use it, and they won't tell you whether a service is SaaSS. Instead they will probably use the vague and -distracting term “cloud”, which lumps SaaSS together with +distracting term “cloud,” which lumps SaaSS together with various other practices, some abusive and some ok. With the explanation and examples in this page, you can tell whether a service is SaaSS.</p> @@ -41,7 +44,7 @@ from <em>proprietary software</em>: software that the users cannot control because the owner (a company such as Apple or Microsoft) controls it. The owner often takes advantage of this unjust power by inserting malicious features such as spyware, back doors, and <a -href="http://DefectiveByDesign.org">Digital Restrictions Management +href="https://www.defectivebydesign.org">Digital Restrictions Management (DRM)</a> (referred to as “Digital Rights Management” in their propaganda).</p> @@ -76,7 +79,7 @@ to you or else acts directly on your behalf.</p> <p>What does it mean to say that a given computing activity is <em>your own</em>? It means that no one else is inherently involved in it. To clarify the meaning of “inherently -involved”, we present a thought experiment. Suppose that any +involved,” we present a thought experiment. Suppose that any free software you might need for the job is available to you, and whatever data you might need, as well as computers of whatever speed, functionality and capacity might be required. Could you do this @@ -125,9 +128,8 @@ server operator gets the data—with no special effort, by the nature of SaaSS. Amy Webb, who intended never to post any photos of her daughter, made the mistake of using SaaSS (Instagram) to edit photos of her. Eventually -<a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/data_mine_1/2013/09/privacy_facebook_kids_don_t_post_photos_of_your_kids_on_social_media.html"> they -leaked from there</a>. -</p> +<a href="https://slate.com/technology/2013/09/privacy-facebook-kids-dont-post-photos-of-your-kids-on-social-media.html"> +they leaked from there</a>.</p> <p>Theoretically, homomorphic encryption might some day advance to the point where future SaaSS services might be constructed to be unable to @@ -158,8 +160,8 @@ resist.</p> <h3>SaaSS and SaaS</h3> <p>Originally we referred to this problematical practice as -“SaaS”, which stands for “Software as a -Service”. It's a commonly used term for setting up software on a +“SaaS,” which stands for “Software as a +Service.” It's a commonly used term for setting up software on a server rather than offering copies of it to users, and we thought it described precisely the cases where this problem occurs.</p> @@ -167,7 +169,7 @@ described precisely the cases where this problem occurs.</p> communication services—activities for which this issue is not applicable. In addition, the term “Software as a Service” doesn't explain <em>why</em> the practice is bad. So we coined the term -“Service as a Software Substitute”, which defines the bad +“Service as a Software Substitute,” which defines the bad practice more clearly and says what is bad about it.</p> <h3>Untangling the SaaSS Issue from the Proprietary Software Issue</h3> @@ -216,7 +218,7 @@ remedy is, <em>Don't use SaaSS!</em> Don't use someone else's server to do your own computing on data provided by you.</p> <p>This issue demonstrates the depth of the difference between -“open” and “free”. Source code that is open +“open” and “free.” Source code that is open source <a href="/philosophy/free-open-overlap.html">is, nearly always, free</a>. However, the idea of an <a href="https://opendefinition.org/ossd/">“open @@ -266,12 +268,10 @@ publication, not SaaSS. However, a service whose main facility is social networking can have features or extensions which are SaaSS.</p> <p>If a service is not SaaSS, that does not mean it is OK. There are -other ethical issues about services. For instance, Facebook -distributes video in Flash, which pressures users to run nonfree -software; it requires running nonfree JavaScript code; and it gives -users a misleading impression of privacy while luring them into baring -their lives to Facebook. Those are important issues, different from -the SaaSS issue. +other ethical issues about services. For instance, Facebook requires +running nonfree JavaScript code, and it gives users a misleading +impression of privacy while luring them into baring their lives to +Facebook. Those are important issues, different from the SaaSS issue. </p> <p>Services such as search engines collect data from around the web @@ -406,7 +406,7 @@ you a basis for trust beyond a mere commercial relationship.</p> using servers. For instance, we can create a peer-to-peer program through which collaborators can share data encrypted. The free software community should develop distributed peer-to-peer -replacements for important “web applications”. It may be +replacements for important “web applications.” It may be wise to release them under the <a href="/licenses/why-affero-gpl.html"> GNU Affero GPL</a>, since they are likely candidates for being converted into server-based @@ -416,19 +416,30 @@ free software projects to consider this issue in their design.</p> <p>In the meantime, if a company invites you to use its server to do your own computing tasks, don't yield; don't use SaaSS. Don't buy or -install “thin clients”, which are simply computers so weak +install “thin clients,” which are simply computers so weak they make you do the real work on a server, unless you're going to use them with <em>your</em> server. Use a real computer and keep your data there. Do your own computing with your own copy of a free program, for your freedom's sake.</p> -<h3>See also:</h3> -<p><a href="/philosophy/bug-nobody-allowed-to-understand.html">The +<div class="announcement comment" role="complementary"> +<p>See also: +<a href="/philosophy/bug-nobody-allowed-to-understand.html">The Bug Nobody is Allowed to Understand</a>.</p> +</div> + +<div class="infobox extra" role="complementary"> +<hr /> +<p>The first version of this article was published +in the <cite><a +href="https://bostonreview.net/articles/richard-stallman-free-software-drm/"> +Boston Review</a></cite>.</p> +</div> +</div> </div><!-- for id="content", starts in the include above --> <!--#include virtual="/server/footer.html" --> -<div id="footer"> +<div id="footer" role="contentinfo"> <div class="unprintable"> <p>Please send general FSF & GNU inquiries to @@ -446,13 +457,13 @@ to <a href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org"><webmasters@gnu.org></a>.</p> to <a href="mailto:web-translators@gnu.org"> <web-translators@gnu.org></a>.</p> - <p>For information on coordinating and submitting translations of + <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 submitting translations +README</a> for information on coordinating and contributing translations of this article.</p> </div> @@ -473,7 +484,7 @@ of this article.</p> There is more detail about copyright years in the GNU Maintainers Information document, www.gnu.org/prep/maintain. --> -<p>Copyright © 2010, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020 Richard Stallman</p> +<p>Copyright © 2010, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022 Richard Stallman</p> <p>This page is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">Creative @@ -483,7 +494,7 @@ Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.</p> <p class="unprintable">Updated: <!-- timestamp start --> -$Date: 2020/12/18 05:52:40 $ +$Date: 2022/01/01 17:25:38 $ <!-- timestamp end --> </p> </div> |