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Comment Re:What about OSS license that respects other righ (Score 1) 117

We're not going to come to any absolute decision or agreement. Which is fine. The world and morals aren't experienced in terms of absolutes.

It depends on what "weapon" means. An amalgamation of steel resembling an AK-47 is a weapon. Heck even a chunk of iron ore is a weapon. It's not the weapon that is bad it is the use. And weapons and software are used in both moral and amoral contexts. It's not the lines of code or parts of the machine. It becomes moral only when a person picks it up and carries out their intent.

By applying a morality clause, I limit the intents that the software can be used in. Importantly, I create a barrier to entry as someone would have to recreate the software to accomplish an intent. This additional effort is then is a signal of software with a malicious intent. It would allow us to ask the questions of "Why can't this software use a moral license?" Maybe it is decided that the intent is valid, and immoral software should be used because the intent is that important. But we would know it. The current state of OSS licenses makes no distinction.

Finally, as you point out "people with weapons cause suffering and need to be stopped by other people with weapons". The US has supported various rebel groups who were allies, only to have them turn around and become enemies or terrorist groups. What gets accomplished there is just killing... on both sides. One has to question if these behaviors that lead to killing on both sides is a smart idea. The idea here are allegiances are fleeting, death is permanent.

Fundamentally, I want my work or portion of my work to be used in killing someone. I'm sure there are others. And I'm not entirely a pacifist. I just want to limit the applications of my open source work to moral causes.

Comment Re:What about OSS license that respects other righ (Score 1) 117

I would counter with morality is not religion. And religion is not morality.

The first tier of morality, as far as the moral operable software license is concerned, it is akin to Asimov's Laws of Robotics. Since robotics will most likely consist of a software component, the software itself should be covered by a license with morality clause.

I would then say the second tier is to not cause non-lethal suffering. This would include things like torture (physical), torture (mental), causing injury, disease and malnutrition.

The third and final tier would be socioeconomic suffering. It would not create artificially limiting factors when those factors are not a choice. (Sex, race, etc)

After that, there is plenty of potential for immoral software. The goal isn't to create perfectly moral software (hell it's hard enough to make software that work as intended regardless of morality) but it is to assure developers and users that the software will only be used to advance humanity in the broad sense.

Comment Re:I suggest Kickstarter (Score 1) 727

We gotta start with the biggest apps first. Then move on to the AutoCADs. If Adobe moved, then the single largest publisher of software outside the OS vendors (by user) would make people notice. Then we'd get a bigger install base that would snowball to the next biggest, etc, etc. so that Linux was it's own platform.

Comment Re:Windows 8 (Score 1) 727

As a Mint 16/17 user that occasionally deals with Win 8:
- Updates - The distro has a unified updater. That updates in the background. Not at boot up, not at shutdown. No forced reboots by the updater. No waiting.
- Metro (user learning curve)
- and an overall respect for you. I get the feeling I'm a market, a commodity when on Windows. Told to install all this crapware, slogged aroudn with the latest trends. I just want to work, or kill time under my terms. If you need firm example, MS forcing MSN Messenger over to Skype. All the various virus scanners and viruses. I love being immune to all those web hacks.

Comment I suggest Kickstarter (Score 2) 727

I use Mint 17 Linux daily, but what I miss, what is really lacking are Adobe apps. Someone should start a kickstarter for Linux ports. Adobe is already familiar with Qt ( I think I read Lightroom is Qt) so they have the experience.

Let's put our money where our mouth is and get adobe to Kickstart the ports.

Comment Re:What about OSS license that respects other righ (Score 0) 117

It's not a popularity contest. It's about our legacy as human beings and as open source is inherently collective, our collective coding effort being a moral and just one.
While I would like the license to be popular, only in so much that I can be assured that the software is being used to advance humanity, not to stifle it. As well as contributors to the projects can rest assured the code they submit would never be used against themselves or others in an immoral fashion.

You, of course, are free to choose an immoral license.

 

Comment What about OSS license that respects other rights? (Score 3, Funny) 117

I'm on board with OSS. But I don't think it goes far enough. The right to modify the code you run is a good one. But I am calling for OSS licenses to pick up another clause, the Zero-Kill clause, where in using the software in any weapons platform (be it sniper rifles or predator drones) is forbidden. People should have the right to not fear being killed by open source software.

Additionally, I am calling for another clause to protect human rights. People should be free from fear that OSS will be used to restrict their freedoms in other ways. This includes forbidding use of the software for censorship or oppression.

Comment I'm sure (Score 1) 54

There's some savings to be had by, if you have a geographically distributed system across time zones, moving loads to lower commercial rates based on time zone.

For those that don't know, commercial rates vary, and spike at peak demand time (~14:00) Moving peak load by forward or back 2 time zones would move you out of peak rates.

Comment I worked helpdesk for a large employer (Score 3, Insightful) 246

I started out all full of piss and vinegar and eventually learned to relax.

You will only make enemies if you play politics. Only play in politics that involve you directly. Let everything else go. It's not your job to know it though you have the ability to. You won't be faulted for not disclosing something that your privileges allowed you to know, but declined to know.

Be everyone's friend. I made friends and gained people's trust by being fair. They told me even more. I could go around uninstalling their games and stuff... But I didn't because it's just piss them off. So I just told them I saw the game and if something starts behaving weirdly, I'm going to blame the game first, and that they should uninstall it before I came back. That seemed to be enough to cover my ass in the event someone else found it and reported it to the head of IT. It kept me from making enemies. Exercising restraint is the key to success. If no one likes you, they won't put in the good word.

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