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Re: [ProgSoc] Text editors/Web dev apps for the Mac



On 9/23/07, jedd <jedd@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> source.  Consider technologies like punkbuster (etc) that rely to
> a great extent on access to algorithms, source, etc being heavily
> restricted.  Yes yes .. security by obscurity, and all that.

 A great proof by example that this kind of thing is doomed to fail in
the gaming sector is that a bookstore as mainstream as Borders is now
carrying glossy copies of Hoglunds "Exploiting Online Games" on it's
shelves.  I think we've passed by security by obscurity and are now
cruising deep in the waters of security by asking nicely to not rip us
off, please.

 As an aside to Raz, I know you understand this stuff better than I
do, but I am still unconvinced of the argument that using non-Free
software can be a pro-Free-software action if the developer has made
the appropriate vague grunting noises. Unless you make them aware that
your support is conditional upon their continuing migration libre-ward
( and you could do that - but I think a lot of KDE users, including
myself, didn't ),  I think it's more likely to be seen as an
endorsement of the status quo.

 While I appreciate that team KDE wanted to build a desktop, not a
toolkit, starting in '96 instead of waiting around for Harmony or
something else and starting in  2000 or later, I still feel that a
position of "Well, maybe it will change." or, "It seems likely to
change." is a bit lazy if you are seriously ethically invested in
freedom issues with the software you use.

 Also, I think that the future directions of a software product are
somewhat unpredictable, and subject to the whims of corporate staff
changes, the winds of press, etc. I agree that Vista will never be
open source, but I would have said the same thing about the Solaris
family in 1998, which is now chugging along quite happily under an OSI
approved license.

 Bryn.

-- 
Captain: Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?
Kids: Richard Nixon!

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