"Web-based programs like Google's Gmail will force people to buy into locked, proprietary systems that will cost more and more over time, according to the free software campaigner [...] «It's stupidity. It's worse than stupidity: it's a marketing hype campaign,» he told The Guardian..."
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http://www.guardian.co.uk –
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mrigns
16 years 4 days 20 hours 29 min ago
Solutions?
While he definitely has point I really don't see how not using those web apps and the much hyped cloud computing is possible.
People neither have the infrastructure, the knowledge nor the money to host their own apps and keep them accessible from everywhere.
lozz
16 years 4 days 10 hours 54 min ago
Simple solution - don't do it
Storage is cheap, our apps are free, laptops have big hard drives these days, so why would anyone turn all their private data over to third-party concerns and then rent it back from them?
aboutblank
16 years 4 days 10 hours 26 min ago
If you wish to retain
If you wish to retain control over your data that is important to your life, you should stay away from proprietary software as well as networked services that are not under your direct control. It is foolish to rely on a network computer service that maintains control over your personal data.
It is somewhat more acceptable if you don't rely on the online service for anything important. I guess my only exception is online banking (including paying for stuff online) but even then, I am very hesitant with using it.
This would be a different matter if you have full control over the computers that store and process your data. Of course, this brings the problem of administrating your online system. If you are not willing to administer it yourself or hire someone else to do it, then your online apps will not work.
mrigns
16 years 3 days 22 hours 56 min ago
Re: Re: Solutions?
The problem however is that you by trying to keep control over all you data you're actually making any sort of communication impossible.
Yes, I can keep, host and control my data on my pc. But I can't control what others are doing with my data (text) when I send them an email, an xmpp instant message, I can't join irc networks, even SVN gets impossible for those who want to follow his suggestion.
I lose control over my data the moment I commit something, send something or post this comment.
Evan Prodromou, creator of identi.ca and laconica wrote about this, a topic he's affected by:
http://autonomo.us/2008/09/rms-on-cloud-computing-stupidity/
The FSF released the agpl especially fot web apps and now rms is calling them just as bad as proprietary software...