[CS-FSLUG] Interesting Article In FSM

[Don Parris]

I don't know how many of you subscribe to Free Software Magazine.  The
paid subscription puts readers about a month ahead of the
non-subscribers.  Anyway, one of the articles in the May issue
describes the "Risks of Using Proprietary Software".  It brings up two
interesting points that don't always get mentioned in discussions of
FOSS vs. proprietary software.

(1) There is a danger of running proprietary code.  As an example,
Pool of Radience II's uninstall script actually damaged system files,
and even wiped out some users' whole hard drives.  Had the code been
published, as ingredients in food are, other developers could have
spotted and reported the problem before too many people got hold of
the software.  It could even have been fixed earlier.

(2) Trust is a one-way street.  It's funny how proprietary software
developers expect us to trust them, while they certainly have no trust
for us.  This is actually something that has been in the back of my
mind for a while.  If the BSA, for example, has the ability to
"detect" an organization running un-licensed software, isn't that
essentially the same as wire-tapping?  Shouldn't they be required to
have court approval for that?  Regardless, it's funny how the
expectation of trust seems to run one way.

Just some thoughts.  What are yours?

Don
-- 
DC Parris GNU Evangelist
http://matheteuo.org/
gnumathetes at gmail.com
Free software is like God's love - 
you can share it with anyone anywhere anytime!