On 10-May-2007, Alex Hudson wrote:
On Thu, 2007-05-10 at 08:51 +1000, Ben Finney wrote:
This is the important point. It's very easy to rationalise a purchase of hardware containing treacherous computing technology with the fallacious logic of "It's possible to conceive of a non-harmful use; therefore, it's not certain that this is harmful; therefore, I can dismiss any argument telling me I shouldn't buy this."
That faulty logic has been distressingly common in this thread.
As opposed to the logic that if the hardware comes with free software drivers and is entirely under your control, then it's pretty difficult to understand an argument which purports it to be harmful?
You've snipped the point I quoted from RMS's message. If you're dismissing it without addressing it, that makes "difficult to understand" a bit hollow.
Here it is again:
RMS wrote:
Can TC be used to enhance security if it's used with free software?
If you can do this without contributing to any tendency to legitimize treacherous computing, then it is harmless. But you must MAKE SURE you don't contribute to such a tendency. Don't leave it to chance!
The purchase of the hardware, and the legitimisation of treacherous computing that results, is not improved by the control you speak of.
"So long as I have control of my hardware, I'm alright Jack" doesn't reduce the tendency to produce and propagate this stuff, just like it doesn't get rid of proprietary software.