diff --git a/talk.tex b/talk.tex index aaebac4..55cea09 100644 --- a/talk.tex +++ b/talk.tex @@ -606,7 +606,7 @@ -%%%=== BEGIN TIMEBLOCK 7.5m ============================================== +%%%=== BEGIN TIMEBLOCK 4.5m ============================================== \begin{frame}{The Web Is Easy} \lecture{Let's explore another aspect of why the Web is so appealing for @@ -615,17 +615,15 @@ \begin{itemize} \item Low Barrier To Entry \lecture{Most everyone has a web browser, and every very major browser - comes with excellent debugging and inspection tools. This is - \emph{great} for a free Web---it encourages studying and - tinkering. And when users start writing software, they can - see it in the familiar environment that is their web - browser.} + comes with excellent debugging and inspection tools, which is + great, because it encourages studying and tinkering. And + when users start writing software, they can see it in the + familiar environment that is their web browser.} \item Huge number of libraries and tools for web development \lecture{Because of that, the number of libraries focused on web development is crazy, and steadily growing. And most of - these popular libraries are free software. The most daunting - task for new web developers is often what library to pick.} + these popular libraries are free software.} \item Even server/desktop software [substitutes] using web libraries \lecture{And then we have software like Node.js that allows running @@ -648,8 +646,7 @@ software!} \only<2>{But we have a problem.} - \lecture{...but we have a problem. Well, another in the \emph{web} of - problems, I suppose.} + \lecture{...but we have a problem.} \end{center} \end{frame} @@ -668,77 +665,22 @@ \item<2-> Permissive licensing \emph{enables} proprietary software \lecture{but most of it is licensed under permissive licenses---one of the most popular being the MIT~Expat license, which allows - for non-free derivatives. What this means is that - proprietary software authors have a relatively easy time - developing software that denies users their - freedoms. Writing software is expensive---it takes time, and - time is money. Any time that can be saved using free - software libraries is money that they can divert toward - adding attractive features, releasing early, and implementing - ways to screw over the user.} - \end{itemize} -\end{frame} - - -%% this frame: 3--3.5m -\begin{frame}{Philosophy/Culture Problem} - \begin{itemize} - \item<1-> ``Open source almost everything''---Tom Preston-Werner (GitHub) - \lecture{If you've listened to any in-depth criticism about licensing - practices of the modern web development community, then - you've probably heard of Tom Preston-Werner's post entitled - ``Open source almost everything''. Some of what you are - about to see may shock and confuse you. Viewer discretion is - advised.} + for non-free derivatives. Writing software is expensive; any + time that can be saved using free software libraries is money + that they can divert toward adding attractive features, + releasing early, and implementing ways to screw over the + user.} \end{itemize} - \only<2>{ - \begin{quote} - \hangleft{``}If you do it right, open sourcing~[sic] code is - \textbf{great advertising} for you and your company. [...] we like to - talk publicly about libraries and systems we've written that are still - closed [sic] but destined to become open source~[sic]. [...] It helps - determine what to open source~[sic] [...] This translates into - goodwill for GitHub and more superfans than ever before.'' (Emphasis - \emph{not} mine.) - \end{quote} - \lecture{This is an excellent example of why we should reject ``open - source''---as a development methodology, it ignores users' freedoms - entirely. While we're talking about users' freedoms, Tom's talking - about liberating code for advertising and building suspense over a - project to produce ``superfans''. And he determines what to liberate - based on input from that suspense. Not because it's the ethical thing - to do.} - } - - \only<3>{ - \begin{quote} - \hangleft{``}When you open source~[sic] useful code, you \textbf{attract - talent}. Every time a talented developer cracks open the code to one - of your projects, you win.'' (Emphasis \emph{not} mine.) - \end{quote} - \lecture{In other words---liberated code is used in a predatory manner - to lure free software hackers into a position of developing - proprietary software.} - } - - \only<4>{ - \begin{quote} - \hangleft{``}Ok, then what shouldn't I open source~[sic]? That's - easy. Don't open source~[sic] anything that represents core business - value.'' - \end{quote} - \lecture{But what about the stuff that the free software community needs - to compete with this ever-growing proprietary world? You - keep it hidden. And you suggest that others do the same.} - } + \lecture{How many of you saw Bradley Kuhn's presentation yesterday? I was + originally going to talk a lot more on this topic, but it's one + of the things I gutted, so I recommend watching his.} \end{frame} \begin{frame}{The Web Scene} - \lecture{Tom's philosophy is pervasive throughout the modern web - development community. His post even encourages it. And, if we - take a look at the community, we can see why:} + \lecture{This philosophy is pervasive throughout the modern web + development community.} \begin{itemize} \item<1-> Startups (e.g. YCombinator-funded) @@ -769,11 +711,7 @@ \item<2-> ``Copyleft'' is a dirty word \lecture{``Copyleft'' is a dirty word: if you want to be accepted by your peers, you'd better license your libraries - permissively. If you don't, someone's either going to - ask you to relicense so that they can use it in their own - proprietary software, and tell you how copyleft restricts - their freedom as a developer, or your project will be - shunned.} + permissively.} \end{itemize} \item<3-> Peer pressure @@ -783,90 +721,19 @@ \end{frame} -\begin{frame} - \begin{center} - Unconscious propagation and consciously manipulative leaders - \lecture{Anti-copyleft activists have the benefit of being able to - focus on the practical arguments---which are easy---and - avoiding or even trying to degrade philosophical - arguments---which are hard, because they involve - confrontation. It's therefore trivial to push ``open - source'' and permissive licensing with the end goal of - fighting copyleft, without actually bringing up the issue, - thereby creating a large community that works against - copyleft without actually \emph{thinking} about - copyleft. This is very dangerous, and this is the culture - driving the web.} - \end{center} - - \lecture{And as of last month, we even have a term describing this broad - issue!} -\end{frame} - -%%%=== END TIMEBLOCK 7.5m ============================================== - - -%%%=== BEGIN TIMEBLOCK 3m ============================================== - -\begin{frame} - \lecture{Kuhn's paradox!} - - \begin{center} - Kuhn's Paradox - \end{center} -\end{frame} - - -\begin{frame}{Kuhn's Paradox} - \begin{quote} - \hangleft{``}For some time now, this paradoxical principle appears to - hold: each day, more lines of freely licensed code exist than ever - before in human history; yet, it also becomes increasingly more - difficult each day for users to successfully avoid proprietary software - while completing their necessary work on a computer.'' - \end{quote} - - \lecture{(Read Kuhn's Paradox)} - - \lecture{Bradley Kuhn has talked a lot about some of these - issues---I~recommend his talks and writings.} -\end{frame} - - -\begin{frame}{Culture of ``Open Source''} - \begin{itemize} - \lecture{This is the culture of ``Open Source''.} - - \item<1-> ``Open Source'' devalues freedom - \begin{itemize} - \item<1-> When freedom is inessential, proprietary ``features'' or - derivatives aren't bad - \lecture{So when freedom isn't valued, then these extra - proprietary features or derivatives on top of all the - excellent free software and libraries isn't seen as a bad - thing.} - - \item<2-> ``Open Core'' - \lecture{And this model of having a free base with proprietary - extensions is often called ``Open Core''. We thought ``Open - Source'' was dangerous---this ``Open Core'' philosophy not - only devlaues freedom, but it deligitimizes it through some - twisted logic!} - \end{itemize} - \end{itemize} -\end{frame} - - \begin{frame}[c] \begin{center} Partial freedom isn't freedom! \end{center} - \lecture{But partial freedom isn't freedom! It doesn't matter if - \emph{part} of your software is free---if even a byte of it robs - me of any of my four freedoms, then I can't ethically use it! I - would have to concede that your website is worth surrendering my - freedoms for. It's probably not.} + \lecture{So what you get is this dangerous ``open core'' concept, where + you have a lot of free software, but you build all the goodies + that people want on top of it, and make it proprietary. Partial + freedom isn't freedom! It doesn't matter if \emph{part} of your + software is free---if even a byte of it robs me of any of my four + freedoms, then I can't ethically use it! I would have to concede + that your website is worth surrendering my freedoms for. It's + probably not.} \end{frame} @@ -929,7 +796,7 @@ \end{center} \end{frame} -%%%=== END TIMEBLOCK 3m ============================================== +%%%=== END TIMEBLOCK 4.5m ============================================== %%%=== BEGIN TIMEBLOCK 6m ==============================================