[Fsfe-ie] Re: ethical interpretations of FS
Ian Clarke
ian at locut.us
Tue Jan 27 12:26:02 CET 2004
Fergal Daly wrote:
> On Monday 26 January 2004 14:34, Ian Clarke wrote:
> I'm not sure about it personally but it most certainly _is_ the philosophy of
> the FSF.
>
> http://www.fsf.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#UnreleasedMods
I stand corrected, in which case I disagree with whoever wrote that FAQ
answer.
There are many things which might benefit the public interest were they
not secret. For example, if my e-gold password was not secret then my
money could be distributed to the masses, which would probably benefit
the public interest. Does this mean that the FSF should advocate the
disclosure of my e-gold password? Should the FSF refuse to use the
software of anyone who doesn't disclose their e-gold password?
The thing that makes source code different to my e-gold password is that
source code controls what my computer does. I have a right to know
what software is doing to my computer, just as I have a right to know
what a plumber is doing to the pipes in my apartment. But I have no
more right to know what a plumber is doing to my friend's pipes than I
do to know his bank PIN. This is true even if I occasionally visit my
friend's apartment.
The argument that I should know what someone else's software is doing
with my hardware is strong and defensible, but the argument that I have
a moral right to know what someone else's software is is doing with
someone else's hardware (and they have a moral obligation to disclose
it) is isomorphic to arguing that nobody should have any secrets about
anything - which is silly.
Ian.
More information about the FSFE-IE
mailing list