Stallman attacks Oyster's 'unethical' use of Linux

...what those 4 freedoms were?

Or does "use for any purpose" only count if you approve of the use?

Is this the moral embodiment of the GPLv3?

Of course not, he is not criticizing it for violating the license, he simply finds such a use unethical. I can't really blame him.

<serious>The title is inaccurate, it is neither the use of Linux nor a license issue. It is the danger of loss of individual privacy concerns.

This was hashed out on lwn.net earlier, just start with the second paragraph:

" Online payments cannot be made anonymously, so anyone paying online or linking their Oyster card to a credit card for automatic top-ups is handing their travel information to the government ... "

Now let's look at the third paragraph:

" ... [Linux] has been developed, since 1984, for the sake of computer users' freedom. Ironically, it is now the basis for a system designed to smother the freedom ... "

Had one just examined the opening, just a modicum of reading comprehension would have induced one to conclude the tag line was a misstatement.

Hey, I will ignore the facts, twist words, misapply quotes for humor sake, however, the comment ascribed is too knee jerk standard where the humor (if intended) escapes me.</serious> <!-- off, I hope permanently /-->

Or does "use for any purpose" only count if you approve of the use?

RMS has clearly stated the GPL doesn't forbid unethical use. The GPL even protects that right through "use for any purpose". So GPL-ed software can still be used for sharks with lasers on their heads. Endorsing such use is wholly different matter.

RMS has every right to be critical of a (potentially) privacy harming implementation of a transit payment system, whether it uses FOSS or not. In this case it is somewhat painful that a system created out of the desire for freedom might potentially aid in stripping others of it.

Hmmm.

It would have been more clear if he'd left f/oss out of it. Might as well bemoan mass production for having enabled bank robbers by supplying cheap get-away cars.

THanks for the clarifications.

Free software was just a tangent in RMS's comments,but, face it -- it is ironic.

At the same time, it's reassuring in the same way that ACLU defense of KKK and American Nazi Party members was 40 years ago.

Freedom is not proven by friends doing things you like.

It is proven by people you don't like doing things that repulse you.

>Freedom is not proven by friends doing things you like. >It is proven by people you don't like doing things that repulse you.

Aww, Dino, you're bringing tears to my eyes...