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I don't see people reacting as harshly if it was someone like Jack Valenti that RMS said some unkind posthumous words about. Steve Jobs did embody the lock dow

by parfe 15y ago

I don't see people reacting as harshly if it was someone like Jack Valenti that RMS said some unkind posthumous words about. Steve Jobs did embody the lock down of computing. I'd say Valenti and Jobs belong to the same category of protecting the consumer from perceived evil through benevolent restriction. I haven't seen anyone claiming Stallman is wrong. Just that he was a jerk about the death of a revered CEO who gets worshiped as a tech prophet. Jobs oversaw some great advances in the consumer computing market. That does not make him immune to criticism and especially not immune to true criticism. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Valenti http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Valenti

astrodust 15y ago
"Steve Jobs did embody the lock down of computing"? Really? To a hacker, perhaps, but to most people he made computing accessible, giving them tools that they'd never have had no matter how "open" otherwise.
- rphlx 15y ago
  Computers, MP3 players, and smartphones would still exist without Steve Jobs. Although probably with a cheaper/uglier case, more complicated SW, and less marketing and design-induced love.
  - protomyth 15y ago
    I get the feeling without Steve Jobs, devices that allow Stevie Wonder (see the video in my other comment) or my mother to actually use all those things wouldn't be mainstream. He cared about everyone being able use the technology. It isn't the cases that make Apple products great, it is the carefully thought out uses that generate amazings designs.
kenjackson 15y ago
I haven't seen anyone claiming Stallman is wrong. I claim Stallman is wrong. To the extent that people may have lost freedom along one axis, they gained it along others. And these other axis most people consider far more important. Everything in life has tradeoffs, and most people recognize that. Stallman doesn't with respect to this one particular axis (a warped view of SW freedom).
- PedroCandeias 15y ago
  A tradeoff we've been accepting since the dawn of civilization, in a way. It's a bit like living in a city as opposed to surviving in the wilderness. Yes, there are laws to abide to and limits to what you can do if you live in a city, but on the flipside you don't have to fear being mauled by a bear. I wish Apple allowed users more freedom with the idevice and iOS itself, but as far as the App Store goes, I'm pretty happy at not having to worry about malware and such crap.
- fluidcruft 15y ago
  What freedoms are gained from using Apple devices? Freedom to purchase things from Apple's app store? Freedom to install iTunes? Do you equate freedom with empowerment? I do agree that Apple's devices have empowered people. But freedom and empowerment are not the same thing. You have more freedom to modify and adapt a post-it note than you do an iPhone. The freedom issue is whether people have control over the machines they invite into their lives. Especially recently, Apple's devices force you into an (arguably exploitative) dependency.
  - kenjackson 15y ago
    Apple devices give you freedom to not care about your device. And your distinction between freedom and empowerment is a false one in the real world. Freedom is generally about empowerment. Apple devices give you the power to exercise your freedom -- except along this narrow axis that you and Stallman seem to care so much about.
    - 0ffw0rlder 15y ago
      The freedom for the government to do what they like through AAPL and the patriot act. Sure Jobs did improve the desktop computing experience in some ways, but apple was not exactally an advocate of privacy or freedom. I didn't drink the kool-aid. Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. --benjamin franklin
    - vacri 15y ago
spudlyo 15y ago
Stallman's comments remind me a bit of Malcom X's comments regarding JFK's death. The lesson is the same, you're going to anger and alienate a lot of people unless you keep your tone respectful when criticizing a recently deceased beloved public figure.
protomyth 15y ago
"Steve Jobs did embody the lock down of computing" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2Tkj8SIHMU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2Tkj8SIHMU at about 4:30 mark

by parfe 15y ago

astrodust 15y ago

"Steve Jobs did embody the lock down of computing"? Really? To a hacker, perhaps, but to most people he made computing accessible, giving them tools that they'd never have had no matter how "open" otherwise.

rphlx 15y ago
Computers, MP3 players, and smartphones would still exist without Steve Jobs. Although probably with a cheaper/uglier case, more complicated SW, and less marketing and design-induced love.
- protomyth 15y ago
  I get the feeling without Steve Jobs, devices that allow Stevie Wonder (see the video in my other comment) or my mother to actually use all those things wouldn't be mainstream. He cared about everyone being able use the technology. It isn't the cases that make Apple products great, it is the carefully thought out uses that generate amazings designs.

kenjackson 15y ago

I haven't seen anyone claiming Stallman is wrong. I claim Stallman is wrong. To the extent that people may have lost freedom along one axis, they gained it along others. And these other axis most people consider far more important. Everything in life has tradeoffs, and most people recognize that. Stallman doesn't with respect to this one particular axis (a warped view of SW freedom).

PedroCandeias 15y ago
A tradeoff we've been accepting since the dawn of civilization, in a way. It's a bit like living in a city as opposed to surviving in the wilderness. Yes, there are laws to abide to and limits to what you can do if you live in a city, but on the flipside you don't have to fear being mauled by a bear. I wish Apple allowed users more freedom with the idevice and iOS itself, but as far as the App Store goes, I'm pretty happy at not having to worry about malware and such crap.
fluidcruft 15y ago
What freedoms are gained from using Apple devices? Freedom to purchase things from Apple's app store? Freedom to install iTunes? Do you equate freedom with empowerment? I do agree that Apple's devices have empowered people. But freedom and empowerment are not the same thing. You have more freedom to modify and adapt a post-it note than you do an iPhone. The freedom issue is whether people have control over the machines they invite into their lives. Especially recently, Apple's devices force you into an (arguably exploitative) dependency.
- kenjackson 15y ago
  Apple devices give you freedom to not care about your device. And your distinction between freedom and empowerment is a false one in the real world. Freedom is generally about empowerment. Apple devices give you the power to exercise your freedom -- except along this narrow axis that you and Stallman seem to care so much about.
  - 0ffw0rlder 15y ago
    The freedom for the government to do what they like through AAPL and the patriot act. Sure Jobs did improve the desktop computing experience in some ways, but apple was not exactally an advocate of privacy or freedom. I didn't drink the kool-aid. Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. --benjamin franklin
  - vacri 15y ago

spudlyo 15y ago

Stallman's comments remind me a bit of Malcom X's comments regarding JFK's death. The lesson is the same, you're going to anger and alienate a lot of people unless you keep your tone respectful when criticizing a recently deceased beloved public figure.

protomyth 15y ago

"Steve Jobs did embody the lock down of computing" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2Tkj8SIHMU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2Tkj8SIHMU at about 4:30 mark