Well as I pointed our earlier all of this is directed to punks.
There is of course no reason that any no-punks read this stuff even though they feel
separated from the beautiful world of punk.
So what is this Free Software that everyone is talking about?
Well to be quite honest, nobody knows.
The term "Free Software" has been used by so many people in so many different ways
that noone for sure can say that "this is free software".
But there are a few things that almost everyone agrees on when it comes to deciding what it is.
Free software must always have the source-code accessible for anyone who wants to see it.
To explain this better we can quote Richard M. Stallman one of those most involved in the
open scource/free software movement,
I say this even though I know he would hate me for mixing the two together;).
This is how he explains source code and what free software is...
"Now, some of you may not ever write computer programs, but perhaps you cook. And if you cook, unless you're really great, you probably use recipes. And, if you use recipes, you've probably had the experience of getting a copy of a recipe from a friend who's sharing it. And you've probably also had the experience -- unless you're a total neophyte -- of changing a recipe. You know, it says certain things, but you don't have to do exactly that. You can leave out some ingredients. Add some mushrooms, 'cause you like mushrooms. Put in less salt because your doctor said you should cut down on salt -- whatever. You can even make bigger changes according to your skill. And if you've made changes in a recipe, and you cook it for your friends, and they like it, one of your friends might say, "Hey, could I have the recipe?" And then, what do you do? You could write down your modified version of the recipe and make a copy for your friend. These are the natural things to do with functionally useful recipes of any kind."
"Now a recipe is a lot like a computer program. A computer program's a lot like a recipe: a series of steps to be carried out to get some result that you want. So it's just as natural to do those same things with computer programs -- hand a copy to your friend. Make changes in it because the job it was written to do isn't exactly what you want. It did a great job for somebody else, but your job is a different job. And after you've changed it, that's likely to be useful for other people. Maybe they have a job to do that's like the job you do. So they ask, "Hey, can I have a copy?" Of course, if you're a nice person, you're going to give a copy. That's the way to be a decent person."
"So imagine what it would be like if recipes were packaged inside black boxes. You couldn't see what ingredients they're using, let alone change them, and imagine if you made a copy for a friend, they would call you a pirate and try to put you in prison for years. That world would create tremendous outrage from all the people who are used to sharing recipes. But that is exactly what the world of proprietary software is like. A world in which common decency towards other people is prohibited or prevented."
Well, what has all of this got to do with punk?
Quite alot actually, especially for all those punks that use computers.
Punk has always been about DIY when it comes to music, clothing, zines and
many other things. Punk has also always been about dissing big and greedy corporations.
Well these things should also be applied on the wolrd of computers.
Well I know that most punks donīt have a clue when it comes to writing programs,
but that is not the point.
As punks we shoud support the alternatives.
Within the computer industry we today see some of the most greedy and powerhungry
companies in the world. And by using their software one support them,
much in the same way as when you fill up gas in a Shell-station you support the
killing of the Ogonipeople.
But these compaines are not into killing people in the third world. They are into controlling the modern, high tech world. We use computers and different kinds of software every day
To be continued...