On Mon, Oct 27, 2008 at 11:41 PM, Linux Lingam <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > it's about time the free software foundation (fsf.org) as well as free > software supporters, advocates, and evangelists, > lifted their heads from the sandbox most of them have buried their heads into. > > for software has jumped out of tape-reels and floppies, away from cds > to more of downloads, and quite soon, > will rapidly move away from hard-disks, to the 'hosted computing > model' and its ilk. > > or, in brutally simplistic words, 'software inside a web-browser' > available on almost any device, but hosted and maintained over servers > on the internet. > > microsoft has just launched Microsoft Azure, that milestones the > software as a service strategy. > http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10076004-56.html > > this, and other similar services, have the potential of locking away > your software, and your individual or enterprise data, through a > service-model approach. they may also bring in issues of both privacy > and DRM into sharper focus. >
So what? Most of the people on various lists are already used to share their data in various ways like sharing their email ids, google shared documents, google sms announcements etc. Many are already used to (at least aware of) working on remote machines where all their data and applications are stored. Some others do virtualisation and use different OS and applications on the same machine alongwith user data. I don't see anything wrong in this from user point of view. If a user knows how to work and store data on remote machines, it does not really matter. This is irrespective of FOSS or proprietory OS/apps. Similar points are being raised about cloud computing also. If this is treated as service-model, user is just going to use the software and not getting the license of the software. As such, user should be concerned about the data only and not the software. And in any case, it is users responsibility to handle the rights. > time to start a discussion on GPL v4, anyone? > or would the free-software community do it in hindsight? How GPL applies to any user data? And even if applicable, how it is going to protect from the service provider? Regards -Sudhanwa ~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~~ www.sudhanwa.com _______________________________________________ ilugd mailinglist -- ilugd@lists.linux-delhi.org http://frodo.hserus.net/mailman/listinfo/ilugd Archives at: http://news.gmane.org/gmane.user-groups.linux.delhi http://www.mail-archive.com/ilugd@lists.linux-delhi.org/
