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diff --git a/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/x.html b/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/x.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..13db816 --- /dev/null +++ b/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/x.html @@ -0,0 +1,221 @@ +<!--#include virtual="/server/header.html" --> +<!-- Parent-Version: 1.77 --> +<title>The X Window System Trap +- GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title> +<meta http-equiv="Keywords" + content="GNU, FSF, Free Software Foundation, freedom, Richard Stallman, rms, free software movement" /> +<meta http-equiv="Description" + content="Richard Stallman discusses the history of the movement to develop a free operating system." /> + +<!--#include virtual="/philosophy/po/x.translist" --> +<!--#include virtual="/server/banner.html" --> +<div class="reduced-width"> +<h2>The X Window System Trap</h2> + +<address class="byline">by Richard M. Stallman</address> +<hr class="thin" /> +<div class="article"> +<p> +To copyleft or not to copyleft? That is one of the major +controversies in the free software community. The idea of copyleft is +that we should fight fire with fire—that we should use copyright +to make sure our code stays free. The GNU General Public License (GNU +GPL) is one example of a copyleft license.</p> + +<p> +Some free software developers prefer noncopyleft distribution. +Noncopyleft licenses such as the XFree86 and +<a href="/licenses/bsd.html">BSD</a> licenses are based on the idea +of never saying no to anyone—not even to someone who seeks to +use your work as the basis for restricting other people. Noncopyleft +licensing does nothing wrong, but it misses the opportunity to +actively protect our freedom to change and redistribute software. For +that, we need copyleft.</p> + +<p> +For many years, the X Consortium was the chief opponent of copyleft. +It exerted both moral suasion and pressure to discourage free software +developers from copylefting their programs. It used moral suasion by +suggesting that it is not nice to say no. It used pressure through +its rule that copylefted software could not be in the X Distribution.</p> + +<p> +Why did the X Consortium adopt this policy? It had to do with their +conception of success. The X Consortium defined success as +popularity—specifically, getting computer companies to use the X +Window System. This definition put the computer companies in the +driver's seat: whatever they wanted, the X Consortium had to help +them get it.</p> + +<p> +Computer companies normally distribute proprietary software. They +wanted free software developers to donate their work for such use. If +they had asked for this directly, people would have laughed. But the +X Consortium, fronting for them, could present this request as an +unselfish one. “Join us in donating our work to proprietary software +developers,” they said, suggesting that this is a noble form of +self-sacrifice. “Join us in achieving popularity,” they said, +suggesting that it was not even a sacrifice.</p> + +<p> +But self-sacrifice is not the issue: tossing away the defense that +copyleft provides, which protects the freedom of the whole community, +is sacrificing more than yourself. Those who granted the X +Consortium's request entrusted the community's future to the goodwill +of the X Consortium.</p> + +<p> +This trust was misplaced. In its last year, the X Consortium made a +plan to restrict the forthcoming X11R6.4 release so that it would not +be free software. They decided to start saying no, not only to +proprietary software developers, but to our community as well.</p> + +<p> +There is an irony here. If you said yes when the X Consortium asked +you not to use copyleft, you put the X Consortium in a position to +license and restrict its version of your program, along with the +code for the core of X.</p> + +<p> +The X Consortium did not carry out this plan. Instead it closed down +and transferred X development to the Open Group, whose staff are now +carrying out a similar plan. To give them credit, when I asked them +to release X11R6.4 under the GNU GPL in parallel with their planned +restrictive license, they were willing to consider the idea. (They +were firmly against staying with the old X11 distribution terms.) +Before they said yes or no to this proposal, it had already failed for +another reason: the XFree86 group followed the X Consortium's old +policy, and will not accept copylefted software. +</p> + +<p> +In September 1998, several months after X11R6.4 was released with +nonfree distribution terms, the Open Group reversed its decision and +rereleased it under the same noncopyleft free software license that +was used for X11R6.3. Thus, the Open Group therefore eventually did +what was right, but that does not alter the general issue.</p> + +<p> +Even if the X Consortium and the Open Group had never planned to +restrict X, someone else could have done it. Noncopylefted software +is vulnerable from all directions; it lets anyone make a nonfree +version dominant, if he will invest sufficient resources to add +significantly important features using proprietary code. Users who +choose software based on technical characteristics, rather than on +freedom, could easily be lured to the nonfree version for short-term +convenience.</p> + +<p> +The X Consortium and Open Group can no longer exert moral suasion by +saying that it is wrong to say no. This will make it easier to decide +to copyleft your X-related software.</p> + +<p> +When you work on the core of X, on programs such as the X server, +Xlib, and Xt, there is a practical reason not to use copyleft. The +X.org group does an important job for the community in maintaining +these programs, and the benefit of copylefting our changes would be +less than the harm done by a fork in development. So it is better to +work with them, and not copyleft our changes on these programs. +Likewise for utilities such as <code>xset</code> and <code>xrdb</code>, +which are close to the +core of X and do not need major improvements. At least we know that +the X.org group has a firm commitment to developing these programs as +free software.</p> + +<p> +The issue is different for programs outside the core of X: +applications, window managers, and additional libraries and widgets. +There is no reason not to copyleft them, and we should copyleft them.</p> + +<p> +In case anyone feels the pressure exerted by the criteria for +inclusion in the X distributions, the GNU Project will undertake to +publicize copylefted packages that work with X. If you would like to +copyleft something, and you worry that its omission from the X +distribution will impede its popularity, please ask us to help.</p> + +<p> +At the same time, it is better if we do not feel too much need for +popularity. When a businessman tempts you with “more +popularity,” he may try to convince you that his use of your +program is crucial to its success. Don't believe it! If your program +is good, it will find many users anyway; you don't need to feel +desperate for any particular users, and you will be stronger if you do +not. You can get an indescribable sense of joy and freedom by +responding, “Take it or leave it—that's no skin off my +back.” Often the businessman will turn around and accept the +program with copyleft, once you call the bluff.</p> + +<p> +Friends, free software developers, don't repeat old mistakes! If we +do not copyleft our software, we put its future at the mercy of anyone +equipped with more resources than scruples. With copyleft, we can +defend freedom, not just for ourselves, but for our whole +community.</p> +</div> +</div> +</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> + +<!-- 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 © 1998, 1999, 2009, 2015, 2020 Richard M. 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: 2020/10/06 08:00:33 $ +<!-- timestamp end --> +</p> +</div> +</div> +</body> +</html> |