Re: statement on freedom and network services

On Tue, Jul 15, 2008 at 2:30 PM, MJ Ray <mjr <at> phonecoop.coop> wrote:
> nlaracu1 <at> swarthmore.edu wrote [quoting someone without attribution]:
> [...]
>> When a company takes open source software and uses it as a closed web
>> service, they are effectively making it proprietary.
>
> I disagree completely.  That would mean when I run GNU Emacs on my
> system, I'm "effectively making it proprietary".  I'm not.  It's still
> free software, even if I'm just a user and not a distributor.

That is not a good comparison. With web services and web applications
the point is that you are using the software, but over a network. Is
this like using Emacs through a telnet or remote X session, or is it
like asking someone else to use a computer to do some work for you?
It's an open question, and needs to be answered in terms of freedom
rather than terms of quid pro quo.

Using web sites certainly looks like using software to me, but I do
understand the burden objection and I feel Crosbie's objections also
need answering.

- Rob.