I'm trying to have a better view of the whole libre computing goals.
In a nutshell, I understand the value of protecting our data.
but I'm not completely satisfied with web browsing usability.
The game is about harvesting our data (the new territories to conquer are our
health and financial data).
The tools of the trade are flash (dying, but still there) javascript,
and centralized servers which contain the data we give to the service (think
GAFA).
I've heard recently a few objections that should be in the FAQ:
- "But I have nothing to hide (in a "you're paranoid" voice tone)"
It's not the point, the point is the potential misuse of the data, like
history showed us (the Stasi, for instance).
- "It's not concerning us directly. There's no one killed because of leaked
data in Europe for example."
That's a retarded/selfish comment, but oh so human... The best thing would be
convincing examples in "free" countries.
- "There's nothing we can do. Plus they'll always find a way to get our data
anyway. They have supercomputers and stuff like that."
There are solutions. Trisquel or Debian, Tor, a VPN, no javascript. Using
decentralised alternatives like Diaspora, or having a personal server.
Anything is better than nothing. It doesn't have to be an all or nothing.
Putting JS back on for a few selected services (yeah, even facebook, though
click-jacking is possible) is not the end of the world.
Compromise is ok if the harm is already done (facebook knows me too well
already). Doesn't mean I don't plan to switch to an alternative, but it's
meaningless if my contacts don't as well.
I can understand the feeling of helplessness because of the technology's
complexity though.
- "But it's too hard to implement. Plus without javascript (and don't tell me
about LibreJS), the internet is broken."
I have a hard time to argue with this one.
I don't see myself telling my father (who barely knows how a mouse works) to
install his own server,
or even to use Trisquel on his own (Windows is already hard for him, and it's
more automated than a libre distro).
I don't see myself telling non-initiated people like him to give up on using
the websites they're used to,
or to navigate on broken (javascript-less) pages.
Trisquel/Debian are still a good alternative,
But when I open a thread called "your privacy strategy" (or something like
that),
that's what I actually meant.
I think flexibility is vital, but to spread the word of libre software, it
must be more accessible IMO.
I'm a decently experienced user, and since I've chosen to disable JS
completely,
I can't even watch gifs, flash videos, and navigating through html pages (css
is not there sometimes)
is not a pleasant experience.
It's kind of like browsing the internet without the internet,
and when it's not working, I spend hours to find a way to make it work,
without success sometimes.
Most people would have given up waay before that, even if the price is
bondage.
I'm not writing this to complain, nor am I leaving Trisquel.
I'm just arguing that the goal should be improved useability.
BTW, I can't install Vimperator on newer Abrowser or Icecat versions.
Just a tiny example. Maybe it's the same with Firefox or chrome, I don't
know.
