Comments on: Free Software Foundation hates the iPhone, proposes ugly alternative

The FSF is doing itself no favors by promoting freedom that looks as ugly as it likely sounds.

[brentlemons]

I recently discovered your blog and really enjoy it! I think there is actually an interesting relationship between this post and several others you have made in recent days. That relationship is to your discussions on the usability of the linux desktop.

I have been a long time fan of linux. I got hooked my freshman year in college ('94). The UI has come a long way, and I was perfectly happy with it, until OSX came out...

I think this raises a bigger question. What does it take for an open source project to have a customer friendly UI? Customer meaning beyond developers. I run my business with many open source tools you advise (DekiWiki, Alfresco, SugarCRM and OpenBravo). These have great interfaces. I've tried others (OFBiz) that have a strong architecture, but terrible interface. It can't be money. There are plenty of organizations (RedHat, SuSe/Novell, Ubuntu) that could have improved the the desktop experience for linux, but they haven't. Is the the initial goal (build a "stronger" product)? Developers vs. Marketing?

What are your thoughts?

[lttam]

I don't think that anyone would disagree with the notion that the UI on the Freerunner is less than perfect, however, the Freerunner does have all the things that iPhone lacks.

Free software development can't happen on the iPhone.
Freerunner doesn't support a DRM scheme.
Freerunner gives the user control over the GPS.
Freerunner plays free formats.

Nokia says it will release Symbian as free software. If Nokia releases a phone that is as free as the Freerunner, the FSF will recommend that too. Sometimes, the things which are best for our freedoms are less attractive and even less functional than proprietary alternatives, but we should still use them, because we value our freedom.

Recommending Freerunner to people will get it in the hands of people from all walks of life, including people who can work on improving the user interface. I'm waiting to receive mine, but from what I've seen, the user interface is actually pretty clear.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2132/1802433620_645fe38268.jpg and honestly, the screenshot you posted is not all that different to the same app running on an iPhone...

http://image.macfixit.com/images/InstallerInstall.jpg

[mtrausch]

The FreeRunner has been selling out?I'd say that shows that there is significant interest. And, well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as the expression goes.

That having been said, you should check out Doctorow's Little Brother. Google for that, and spend 5 hours reading the book. If you've read it before, read it again; those events are highly plausible, and you can see the FSF's point through the entire book.

Lastly, the great thing about freedom is that you can do something about it. Order a board for the FreeRunner, and give it a better shell if that's what you want. If you don't like the user interface, you can change it?heck, you can download OpenMoko and run it on your computer and learn how to modify it, if that's your beef.

I am usually rather happy to read your posts; have been doing so for a couple of months now. However, I was not impressed by this one. Here's looking forward to more of the type of posts I've come to expect from you, ones that are useful, thoughtful, and helpful.

[TheAlpacaHerder]

As for transmitting location, that is required under law. E911 requirements for cell phones make that a necessity. Otherwise, if you called 911 from your cell phone would anyone be able to find you?

[mtrausch]

It's only required by law if you are actually dialing 911. All (new) phones are specifically required to be able to provide location assistance to authorities, and are only required to transmit the information when the user has actually dialed 911.

However, many phones turn this on and leave it transmit all the time, or even let application software on the phone transmit it such that any third party can potentially determine your information if, say, monitoring for that phone. Such software and service is (usually) geared toward parents (who want to monitor their children) or businesses (who want to monitor their employees). However, that doesn't stop Uncle Sam from doing something down the road, like covertly enabling these devices on people who they suspect to be criminals or terrorists with blatant disregard for the law similar to that which they demonstrated with the illegal wiretapping. Most very new phones don't even provide a way to let you disable the positioning altogether, which is silly: old phones are still around and can be found by triangulating their position amongst different cell towers, and the process behind that is sound and understood, and still works.

The bigger issue is that people must be able to choose to have their privacy if that is what they want. While most people may not care, or even simply just not think about it, it's still an important choice to have available.

[brianwca]

Matt, you find the FreeRunner ugly. Well, there's no accounting for taste... I think its physical appearance is world's better than say, a Treo, or Blackberry. But the point is: opinions on aesthetics are going to vary, so that part of your argument is wasted breath.

What's really disappointing about your article is that you also complain about the UI, when you obviously have never used a FreeRunner. The image the FSF used next to its article is a mock-up. One way to know that photo is fake is that no FreeRunner SAYS "FreeRunner" at the bottom--that's pure PhotoShop/Gimp. Instead, they all say "Neo".

And the UI on the phone can totally vary depending on what software one chooses to run on it (the chief value of a non-proprietary phone). If your readers want to read an honest review from someone who has actually used a FreeRunner, then they should read the article at Ars Technica: http://arstechnica.com/reviews/os/open-moko-software.ars which includes numerous actual screenshots of what I think is a gorgeous user interface.

But the real beauty is that if I decide I don't like the UI I'm currently using on my FreeRunner--I'm free to change it. Good luck with that on your locked-up phone.

[ninuxpdb]

there is few to hate, here are the really news about the Free Software Foundation.Inc http://fsf.org

first to read about the iphone i invite to visit http://gnu.org where you can find these considerations about iphone:

GNUs Flashes

Read and share these 5 reasons to avoid iPhone 3G with friends, family and coworkers. The iPhone's DRM prevents free software from being run on it at all, and gives Apple the authority to determine what can legally be installed by anyone on their own mobile computer.

http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/5-reasons-to-avoid-iphone-3g

5 reasons to avoid iPhone 3G 5 reasons to avoid iPhone 3G
Submitted by johns. on 2008-07-10 09:26 PM. Community


Give Apple the iPhone Challenge

The 5 real reasons to avoid iPhone 3G:

* iPhone completely blocks free software. Developers must pay a tax to Apple, who becomes the sole authority over what can and can't be on everyone's phones.
* iPhone endorses and supports Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) technology.
* iPhone exposes your whereabouts and provides ways for others to track you without your knowledge.
* iPhone won't play patent- and DRM-free formats like Ogg Vorbis and Theora.
* iPhone is not the only option. There are better alternatives on the horizon that respect your freedom, don't spy on you, play free media formats, and let you use free software -- like the FreeRunner.

"This is the phone that has changed phones forever," Mr. Jobs said.

We agree. A snake oil salesman not satisfied with his business of pushing proprietary software and Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) technology into your home, Jobs has set his sights on getting DRM and proprietary software into your pocket as well.

There is a reason so much emphasis was put on the visual design of the iPhone. There is a reason that Apple is so concerned about unsightly seams that they won't even let you change the battery in your own phone.

Apple, through its marketing and visual design techniques, is manufacturing an illusion that merely buying an Apple makes you part of an alternative community. But the technology they use is explicitly chosen to divide people into separate digital cells, and to position Apple as sole warden. When your business depends on people paying for the privilege of being locked up, the prison better look and feel luxurious, and the bars better not be too visible.
Wait, locked up? Prison? It's a phone. Aren't we being a little extreme?

Unfortunately, we are not. The extreme here is represented by Jobs and Apple. The iPhone is an attack on very old and fundamental values -- the value of people having control over their stuff rather than their stuff having control over them, the right to freely communicate and share with others, and the importance of privacy.

The iPhone does make phone calls, but it is not just a phone. It is a general-purpose computer, more powerful in terms of hardware than the ones we might have had sitting on our desks just a few years ago. It's also a tracking device, and like other proprietary GPS-enabled phones, can transmit your location without your knowledge.

As of November 2007, 3.3 billion people in the world had mobile telephones, and the number continues to rise rapidly. For many of these people, phones are becoming the most important computers they own. They are vital to their communications and they are with them all the time. Of all the technology people use that could be turned against them, this is one of the most frightening possibilities.

But there is an important difference between the iPhone and prior general-purpose computers: The iPhone is broken, on purpose. It is in theory capable of running many different kinds of programs, but software applications and media will be limited via Apple's ironically named Digital Restrictions Management technology -- "FairPlay".
FoulPlay

Apple's DRM system monitors your activities and tells you what you are and are not allowed to do. What you are not allowed to do is install any software that Apple doesn't like. This restriction prevents you from installing free software -- software whose authors want you to freely share, copy and modify their work.

Free software has given us many exciting things on the desktop -- the GNU/Linux operating system, the Firefox web browser, the OpenOffice.org suite, the Apache webserver that runs most of the web sites on the internet. Why would we want to buy a computer that goes out of its way to obstruct the freedom of such creators?

This system is not Apple's only FoulPlay. iPhones can now also only be activated in stores -- despite the fact that in the U.S., the Register of Copyrights ruled that consumers have the right to unlock their phones and switch to a different carrier.
Fingerpointing (and we don't mean the touch screen)

Jobs would have us believe that all of these restrictions are necessary. He nods and agrees when we complain about them, and says that he doesn't like them either. He claims that Apple is forced to include them for our own good -- for the safety of the whole telephone network, and to allow access to all the movies and music we want.

But it's been a year and a half since Jobs, under pressure from the public, spoke out strongly against DRM and in favor of freedom. With great hesitation, he allowed a handful of files to go DRM-free on iTunes, but kept in place the requirement that they be purchased using the proprietary, DRM-infected iTunes software. Since then, he has done absolutely nothing to act on those words. In his movie and video ventures, he has continued to push DRM. And now he's bringing it to mobile software applications as well. It's become clear that those words were a ploy to defuse opposition.

The truth is that there are thousands of software, music, and media creators who want to share their work more freely. It's funny -- as in reprehensible -- because Apple's OS X operating system was in fact largely built on software written by people who voluntarily made their work free to others for further copying, modification and improvement. When people have the freedom to tinker, create, and innovate, they make exciting and useful creations. People have already been writing their own free software to run mobile platforms. The telephone network is still standing.

We know Jobs is afraid of competition, and is manufacturing threats and excuses. This is simply a business decision, and it's a kind of business we shouldn't support. Jobs wants the iPhone to restrict you because he wants your money and increased control is a means to that -- he wants to take as much from you as possible, give you back as little as possible, and keep his costs at the absolute minimum. He's trying to make sure that nobody writes software for the iPhone to do things that he doesn't want the iPhone to be able to do -- such software might make FoulPlay less foul, play alternative media formats, show the user exactly what's being communicated from the phone to the people monitoring it, or even disable transmission of that information.
Being the future we want to see

Fortunately, we will soon be able to have all the convenience of a mobile computer that also makes phone calls without selling our freedom to Apple, Microsoft, BlackBerry, or anyone else. The Neo FreeRunner is a promising free-software phone, being developed in cooperation with the same worldwide community responsible for the GNU/Linux operating system. These are creators who want to share their work and who want you and others to be able to do what they did -- build on the work of people who came before them to make new, empowering devices.

Jobs built on the work of people before him too, only his answer is to kick away the ladder and try to prevent anyone else from doing what he did. His customers are fighting back -- according to Apple in October 2007, over 250,000 of the 1.4 million iPhones sold were unlocked by their users. Rather than embracing this, Jobs thinks it should be stopped.

We have a choice. The FreeRunner doesn't yet do as much as the iPhone and it's certainly not as pretty. But in terms of potential, the fact that it's supported by a worldwide community of people rather than a single greedy, dishonest and secretive entity puts it light-years ahead. We can trade our freedom and our money to get something flashy on the surface, or we can spend a little more money, keep our freedom, and support a better kind of business. If we want businesses to be ethical, we have to reward the ones that are. By not enriching companies that want to take away our freedom and by rewarding those that respect us, we will be helping to bring about a better future.

Questions or feedback? [e-mail].

Copyright © 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article are permitted worldwide, without royalty, in any medium, provided this notice is preserved.

The FSF also has sister organizations in Europe, Latin America and India

http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/apple-challenge

Give Apple the iPhone Challenge Give Apple the iPhone Challenge
Submitted by johns. on 2008-07-24 02:53 PM. Community

Last week, we described 5 reasons to avoid the iPhone. This has been met with a lot of excitement and some great feedback. There will be a follow-up article here going into detail on the specific questions raised.

But we also want to take this opportunity to join DefectiveByDesign.org in getting some answers straight from Apple.

In every Apple retail store is a so-called "Genius Bar" -- a technical support station, the purpose of which is to offer help and support for Apple products.

You can use Apple's helpful online booking system to reserve time slots at the Genius Bar, and give a Genius the iPhone Challenge.

Give Apple the iPhone Challenge.

Questions or feedback? [e-mail].

The FSF is a charity with a worldwide mission to advance software freedom

Copyright © 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article are permitted worldwide, without royalty, in any medium, provided this notice is preserved.

http://defectivebydesign.org/apple-challenge

Ask Apple about the iPhone
Posted On: Thu, 2008-07-24 09:43 by mattl

Last week, we announced 5 reasons to avoid the iPhone. This has been met with a lot of excitement and some great feedback.

Some important questions were raised in this feedback. So, here is an opportunity to have some fun and get answers, straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak.

In every Apple retail store is a so-called "Genius Bar" -- a technical support station, the purpose of which is to offer help and support for Apple products.

You can use Apple's helpful online booking system (no registration required) to reserve time slots at the Genius Bar. There are currently 217 Apple stores in seven countries, giving us plenty of slots to book. We want as many people as possible to book slots this Friday and Saturday. Why not book more than one? Having lots of slots booked will get Apple's attention and ensure that the Geniuses have done their homework.
Take these three easy steps to give Apple our iPhone Challenge:

1) Book a 10-minute slot now!

Book online: USA, Australia, Canada, Italy and the United Kingdom.

2) Let us know which stores you have booked using our online counter.

3) Digg this to encourage others to participate

At the Genius Bar....

Print out our handy questionnaire and information about how iPhone 3G restricts your freedom. If you have access to a color printer, you can also print out some of our snazzy iPhone flyers (Letter, A4) to hand out to people outside the store when you're done. There are also black-and-white versions: (Letter, A4).

Head over to your local Apple Store at your designated time. Be sure to get a business card from your Genius first and then politely ask them the questions. For each question, give them a score between 1 and 32, with 1 being a really bad answer, and 32 being an answer that really showed insight into the restrictive practices of the iPhone.

The total score will be out of 160 -- the IQ level of Einstein, a certified genius. Rate your Genius's iQ to the same score, and if they get over 130, they're a genius -- any lower than that, and they're screwed. Glory and infamy awaits!

If you feel your Genius did particularly well, or particularly badly, please let us know their name, email address, and the store address -- it'll be on their business card. We'll send prizes and information accordingly.
Questions

Start by introducing yourself to your Genius.

"I'm from the DRM elimination crew at DefectiveByDesign.org -- I'd like to ask you a few questions about the defects Apple has designed into the iPhone 3G."

1.

Why do all developers have to submit their applications to Apple before they can be loaded onto an iPhone?

Most smartphones, including those by OpenMoko, Nokia, RIM, Palm and even Microsoft, allow applications to come from a variety of sources, including free software developers. Free "as in freedom" software development requires that users and developers be able to share and modify the source code for programs they use. iPhone users are not permitted by Apple to share or load modified versions of programs distributed through the App Store -- even when a program's developer wants users to be able to do this! Apple markets itself as empowering, alternative technology -- How does Apple plan to support free software development?
2.

Why does iTunes still contain so much DRM-laden music?

Services like Amazon, eMusic, Napster, Rhapsody, Play.com and 7digital are all selling music without DRM. A typical response to this might be that Apple has no option to sell media without DRM, but this is simply untrue. Jobs is the largest individual shareholder at Disney, and he could insist that its films be DRM-free. Apple should be leading the way to promote DRM-free music, but instead is lagging behind. What is Apple doing to fix this? If it really is the RIAA's fault, can you tell me specifically what the RIAA said to Jobs when he asked for the ability to sell DRM-free music?
3.

The iPhone 3G has GPS support. How can users be sure that the GPS cannot be used to track their position, without their permission?

When the only thing preventing the GPS from being used is software, and the software in question is known only to Apple, why should iPhone users trust Apple? There is a privacy agreement, but how would I ever know that the agreement was violated?
4.

In 'Thoughts on Music', Steve Jobs said, "it is useful to remember that all iPods play music that is free of any DRM and encoded in 'open' licensable formats such as MP3 and AAC".

If Jobs really wants to see open formats, why doesn't the iPhone play Ogg Vorbis, Ogg Theora video and FLAC? These formats require no licensing costs, and are not encumbered by patents. How does Apple plan to support these formats in the future? Will Apple approve applications for the App Store that support these formats?
5.

Last question. Why can the iPhone 3G only be activated by Apple and AT&T?

In the United States, the Register of Copyrights has ruled that consumers have the right to unlock their phones and switch to a different carrier. How does Apple plan to remedy this discrepancy?

Next steps

Give your Genius their score, your contact information (if you want) and your handout, along with any additional feedback you have about the defects in iPhone 3G. Thank them for their time, and quickly and politely leave the store. Outside the store, distribute some of the flyers and spend some time talking to people about these issues.

Let us know how it went by sending an email to [e-mail] with your Genius's information, score, and your comments.

* mattl's blog
* Email this page



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http://defectivebydesign.org/5-reasons-to-avoid-iphone-3g

5 reasons to avoid iPhone 3G
Posted On: Mon, 2008-07-21 08:12 by mattl

The 5 real reasons to avoid iPhone 3G:

* iPhone completely blocks free software. Developers must pay a tax to Apple, who becomes the sole authority over what can and can't be on everyone's phones.
* iPhone endorses and supports Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) technology.
* iPhone exposes your whereabouts and provides ways for others to track you without your knowledge.
* iPhone won't play patent- and DRM-free formats like Ogg Vorbis and Theora.
* iPhone is not the only option. There are better alternatives on the horizon that respect your freedom, don't spy on you, play free media formats, and let you use free software -- like the FreeRunner.


efectiveByDesign.org is a campaign of the Free Software Foundation
Copyright © 2006, 2007, 2008 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Verbatim copying and distribution of site content permitted worldwide, without royalty, in any medium, provided this notice, and the copyright notice, are preserved.

Read our Privacy Policy.

http://www.openmoko.com/

http://www.fsf.org/iphone-gplv3

iPhone restricts users, GPLv3 frees them

BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA?Thursday, June 28, 2007?On Friday, June 29, not everyone in the continental U.S. will be waiting in line to purchase a $500 iPhone. In fact, hundreds of thousands of digital aficionados around the globe won't be standing in line at all, for June 29 marks the release of version 3 of the GNU General Public License (GPL). Version 2 of the GPL governs the world's largest body of free software?software that is radically reshaping the industry and threatening the proprietary technology model represented by the iPhone.

The author of the the GPL is Professor Richard M. Stallman, president and founder of the Free Software Foundation, and creator of the GNU Project. With his first revision of the license in sixteen years, version 3 of the GPL fights the most recent attempts to take the freedom out of free software?most notably, version 3 attacks ?Tivoization??and that could be a problem for Apple and the iPhone.

Now, from China to India, from Venezuela to Brazil, from Tivos to cell phones: Free software is everywhere and it is slowly building a worldwide movement of users demanding that they have control over the computers and electronic devices they own.

Tivoization and the iPhone?

?Tivoization? is a term coined by the FSF to describe devices that are built with free software, but that use technical measures to prevent the user from making modifications to the software?a fundamental freedom for free software users?and an attack on free software that the GPLv3 will put a stop to.

The iPhone is leaving people questioning: Does it contain GPLed software? What impact will the GPLv3 have on the long-term prospects for devices like the iPhone that are built to keep their owners frustrated?

Peter Brown, executive director of the FSF said, ?Tomorrow, Steve Jobs and Apple release a product crippled with proprietary software and digital restrictions: crippled, because a device that isn't under the control of its owner works against the interests of its owner. We know that Apple has built its operating system, OS X, and its web browser Safari, using GPL-covered work?it will be interesting to see to what extent the iPhone uses GPLed software.?

You can help spread the message

The GNU GPL version 3 will be released at 12:00pm (EDT)?six hours before the release of the iPhone?bringing to a close eighteen months of public outreach and comment, in revision of the world's most popular free software license.

About the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL)
The GNU GPL is the most widely used free software license worldwide: almost three quarters of all free software packages are distributed under this license. It is not, however, the only free software license.

Richard Stallman wrote the version 1 and 2 of the GNU GPL with legal advice from Perkins, Smith & Cohen. Version 1 was released in 1989, and version 2 in 1991. Since 1991, free software use has increased tremendously, and computing practices have changed, introducing new opportunities and new threats. In 2005, Stallman began revising the GPL for version 3. In January 2006, the FSF began a systematic process of public review and feedback, with legal advice and organizational support from the Software Freedom Law Center.

About the GNU Operating System and Linux
Richard Stallman announced in September 1983 the plan to develop a free software Unix-like operating system called GNU. GNU is the only operating system developed specifically for the sake of users' freedom. See http://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html.

In 1992, the essential components of GNU were complete, except for one, the kernel. When in 1992 the kernel Linux was re-released under the GNU GPL, making it free software, the combination of GNU and Linux formed a complete free operating system, which made it possible for the first time to run a PC without non-free software. This combination is the GNU/Linux system. For more explanation, see http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html

The GNU GPL is used by developers with various views, but it was written to serve the ethical goals of the free software movement. Says Stallman, ?The GNU GPL makes sense in terms of its purpose: freedom and social solidarity. Trying to understand it in terms of the goals and values of open source is like trying understand a CD drive's retractable drawer as a cupholder. You can use it for that, but that is not what it was designed for.?

About The Free Software Foundation
The Free Software Foundation, founded in 1985, is dedicated to promoting computer users' right to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and use of free (as in freedom) software?particularly the GNU operating system and its GNU/Linux variants?and free documentation for free software. The FSF also helps to spread awareness of the ethical and political issues of freedom in the use of software. Its Web site, located at www.fsf.org, is an important source of information about GNU/Linux. Donations to support the FSF's work can be made at http://donate.fsf.org. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.

Media Contacts
Joshua Gay
Campaigns Manager
Free Software Foundation
617-542-5942
[e-mail]

Last modified 2007-06-29 11:40 AM

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http://www.defectivebydesign.org/blog/1044

Apple iPhone and DRM
Posted On: Fri, 2007-06-29 06:59 by Gregory Heller

The iPhone hype hides a basic problem with the product ? Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) inside the iPhone means that it wont be under your control. Apple has built this ?smart? phone to dumb you down. They also want you to switch your cell phone service to AT&T ? who collaborated with the National Security Agency (NSA) in its massive, illegal program to wiretap and data­ mine Americans' communications.

So here is a quick and easy thing you can do today and this weekend to help damp down the hype around the iPhone: spread the word. Download the attached flyer, print some copies and hand them out at work, and at AT&T Wireless stores (on your lunch break or way home).

The iPhone may be the top news story today, lets help tell the full story. The iPhone - another product Defective By Design

DefectiveByDesign.org is a campaign of the Free Software Foundation
Copyright © 2006, 2007, 2008 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Verbatim copying and distribution of site content permitted worldwide, without royalty, in any medium, provided this notice, and the copyright notice, are preserved.

Read our Privacy Policy.

http://www.palluxo.com/2008/07/27/free-software-foundation-campaigns-against-iphone-3g/

ee Software Foundation Campaigns Against iPhone 3G

July 27, 2008

Defective By Design DRM iPhone 3G CampaignThe Free Software Foundation (FSF) has been campaigning against the iPhone 3G for quite some time. Their web site - Defective by Design - is an anti-digital rights management (DRM) initiative, which targets ?Big Media, unhelpful manufacturers, and DRM distributors? in hopes of bringing public awareness of the issue and increasing participation in the initiative.

Their campaign aims to make all manufacturers wary about bringing their DRM-enabled products to market. DRM products ?have been intentionally crippled from the users? perspective, and are therefore ?defective by design.??

DRM is used to encrypt various multimedia products (including audio, video, and console games) and is intended to prevent copyright infringement by limiting or prohibiting duplication of the media. DRM can prevent users from duplicating a CD or a DVD, prevent someone watching a DVD from skipping a preview, or create problems with interoperability between competing products.

Recently, Defective by Design posted 5 reasons why consumers should avoid iPhone 3G. First reason - iPhone completely blocks free software; Second - iPhone endorses and supports Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) technology; Third - iPhone exposes your whereabouts and provides ways for others to track you without your knowledge; Fourth - iPhone won?t play patent and DRM-free formats like Ogg Vorbis and Theora; and finally the Fifth reason - iPhone is not the only option.

With respect to DRM, Apple Inc CEO - Steve Jobs - seems to agree with them. Just over a year and a half ago, he slammed the big four music companies for their hypocritical DRM policies:

?Why would the big four music companies agree to let Apple and others distribute their music without using DRM systems to protect it? The simplest answer is because DRMs haven?t worked, and may never work, to halt music piracy. Though the big four music companies require that all their music sold online be protected with DRMs, these same music companies continue to sell billions of CDs a year which contain completely unprotected music. That?s right! No DRM system was ever developed for the CD, so all the music distributed on CDs can be easily uploaded to the Internet, then (illegally) downloaded and played on any computer or player.?

Richard Stallman, President of the FSF, explained the purpose of their campaign, ?The motive for DRM schemes is to increase profits for those who impose them, but their profit is a side issue when millions of people?s freedom is at stake; desire for profit, though not wrong in itself, cannot justify denying the public control over its technology. Defending freedom means thwarting DRM.?

The Free Software Foundation believes there are - what they call - ?better alternatives on the horizon that respect your freedom, don?t spy on you, play free media formats, and let you use free software.? And they prefer the FreeRunner.

Written by Editorial Team · Filed Under Mac Media, One Channel, iPhone 3G
Comments

One Response to ?Free Software Foundation Campaigns Against iPhone 3G?

1. paolo-del-bene on July 27th, 2008 9:41 pm

the policy of Free Software Foundation.Inc is correct and there not nothing to say

happy hacking !!!

Richard Matthew Stallman

http://fsf.org http://fsfeurope.org http://gnu.org
http://badvista.org http://defectivebysedisgn.org
http://stallman.org

[johnsu01]

Matt, you failed to quote the parts of the article that are totally up front about the fact that the FreeRunner is not currently as functional or pretty as the iPhone. But as the earlier comment above indicated, the freedom of the FreeRunner is a massive advantage, and if we want to have a free device we should support it, and not support its competitors, so that it can get better. Yep, it's going to be inconvenient in the short term, and take work, but there are good reasons to do the work.

I just published a second article showing more free software concerns with the iPhone -- http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/why-free-software-and-apples-iphone-dont-mix.

[ninuxpdb]

i accepted that disclaimer only to write on this blog, but i have not any idea to respect it. i respect only BSD License, GNU General Public License, GNU Lessler General Public License and the GNU Free Documentation License. so i don't see why you can't use the GNU FDL to authorize to write. after this i want to say a think you have not write an article, that was just pubblished on http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/why-free-software-and-apples-iphone-dont-mix and as third thing i want ot say that Free Runner is a good Phone is totally free software, you got a DBOARD to program it, apple have not a DBOARD, apple is not free software, Free Runner is totally free software, the cost is the same, but with the iphone steven jobs looks what happen in your phone, with Free Runner is difficult that can happen, why you are the programmer of the phone, is aspecial phone. there is not any violation of privacy, and in Italy is punished by the article DPR 675/96 of law. at the same time you got a phone totally free software, you pay the phone, the DBOARD and all is inside, but then you are the person that control the device, and is not a device that control you as the iphone. on iphone the ogg, speex, auflac, ogv can't runs, on free runner can runs, iphone has got a bad support and is very new with differents problem for example copy, paste, cut, problems with the coonection between other devices, the bluetooth is not standard as in all the other devices, but is very similar to the phone of 3 or drei in deutch that is the same thing. iphone can dialogue only with his own devices and not with others, infact if you would to connect for example a computer emac with a thinkpad t23 ibm with GNU/linux does not matter which distribution, they don't dialogue, they got problems via ethernet (eth0) and too via USB. this is the full compstibility of steven jobs with the others operating systems. let me say few things: 1) MAC OS X is : a)QT Libraries http://trolltech.com the same used from kde steven jobs and william gates 3 used the libraries with a not free software license such the GNU General Public License b) for Java apple uses all the project with the license of sun microsystems, it refuses to use the GNU General Public License, between 2006 java is Free Software and GPL 3) apple uses the microkernel mach developped to the carnegie mellon university and successfully to the university of utah, so apple does not developped nothing about the operating system, apple uses too the monolithic kernel BSD of Berkeley University, the hard drives are formatted with UNIX_SVR such as sun microsystems and the openfirmware of apple is similar to that developped by sun microsystems called openboot. apple did an hybris os microkernel mach + bsd but does not work fine, could happen that locks or goes in bomb. apple has developped i think quartz, cocoa and carbon, but thr cpu in the last year till powerpc g4 was developped by motorola and the g5 were a cpu ibm powerpc, for all his own long life apple has always used motorola, only 6502 was not motorola. this means that apple from the first years gave all in license saying to the others to develop for him, to do low prices, and to sell to more. apple did bad jokes with the powerpc whe announced the mac os x for the first time coudl decide to enter in the market of free software using free software : "free software refers not price but freedom so think free speeech not free beer" this means that apple could to use gpl code and to sell, but it must redistribute the source code, at the same time this mean to have source code always young, cleaned, and easy to update, so users can't put the hands to the code, update, but must to spent 140 euro to have an update, and they must to wait the times of apple and apple must to wait the times of developpers that develop software and to the end the users have got old code unusable. then when steven jobs understood that micro-soft violated the ros doing the reverse engineering and said to bill gates that he find the way to process him, bill gates said to steven jobs, do it and i don't give you anymore support with the softwares. so if a person is in this situation what can do ? it is in California, it uses the Berkeley operating system BSD, then uses the microkernel mach do you want ask to students if they are interested to program for you ? apple was again stupid, and fortunately students created a movement, groups of people that collaborate between theirself, any use GNU/linux and others BSD, but there are many distributions such as: GNU/linux Debian; GNU/linux gNewSense, GNU/linux Knoppix; GNU/linux Libranet; GNU/linux Edubuntu; GNU/linux Kubuntu: GNU/linux Ubuntu; GNU/linux RedHat; GNU/linux Fedora; GNU/linux Blag; GNU/linux Mandriva; GNU/linux Slackware; GNU/linux Gentoo; GNU/linux Ututo; GNU/HURD; GNU/KFreeBSD; GNU/NetBSD; FreeBSD; NetBSD; OpenBSD; and for any distribution there is the chat: /server irc.freenode.net /join #debian /join #gnewsense /join #knoppix /join #edubuntu /join #kubuntu /join #ubuntu /join #redhat /join #fedora /join #blag /join #mandriva /join #slackware /join #gentoo /join #ututo /join #hurd /join #gnu-kbsd /join #netbsd /join # openbsd /join #freebsd /join #libranet and then there are the historical channel as /join #gnu /join #gnu-linux.it /join #bsd-history
/join #GNU/linux-history /join #gcc /join #gdb /join #kernel /join #linux /join #2600
/join #openwrt /join #madwifi /join #prism54 /join #p54u /join #ar7 /join #maemo and many other projects hass got apple all this upport in any language ?