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FSF releases new draft of GPLv3 for discussion

by John Sullivan posted at 2007-03-28 16:26 last modified 2007-03-30 15:09

The Free Software Foundation has released a new discussion draft of the GNU General Public License, Version 3.

For the last eighteen years, the GPL has served as the main free software answer to proprietary licensing agreements used by companies like Microsoft.

As the GPL preamble says:

The licenses for most software and other practical works are designed to take away your freedom to share and change the works. By contrast, the GNU General Public License is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free software--to make sure the software is free for all its users.

In contrast, a typical Microsoft Vista EULA says:

The software is licensed, not sold. This agreement only gives you some rights to use the software. Microsoft reserves all other rights. Unless applicable law gives you more rights despite this limitation, you may use the software only as expressly permitted in this agreement. In doing so, you must comply with any technical limitations in the software that only allow you to use it in certain ways.

See the difference in attitude?

Revising the GPL—for the first time in fifteen years—has been a community process. The latest revision involved looking at over 600 comments from the public, plus two international conferences and the work of four dedicated discussion committees. The more people who are involved, the more likely GPLv3 will match the success of GPLv2. You can read about the changes and add your comments at http://gplv3.org/guide.

You can digg the story at http://digg.com/tech_news/Free_Software_Foundation_releases_third_discussion_draft_of_GPLv3.

Category(s)
Licensing

Stealth updates, deletions

by josh posted at 2007-09-18 15:53 last modified 2007-09-24 11:53
Microsoft's Nate Clinton has used a bogus excuse to explain why Windows Update installs stealth updates without the user's consent. He writes in the Microsoft Update Product Team Blog:

One question we have been asked is why do we update the client code for Windows Update automatically if the customer did not opt into automatically installing updates without further notice? The answer is simple: any user who chooses to use Windows Update either expected updates to be installed or to at least be notified that updates were available.

Well, if Microsoft understands that a person wants to decide to install their own updates, then they should be respectful of that user's choice and be consistent with their policy. Being consistent means that they should tell the user that an update to Windows Update is available and that if they want it to continue to work properly, that this update should be installed. Maybe the user will decide to stop using Windows Update altogether, or maybe they will install the update. Either way, it should be the user that decides, not Microsoft.

However, this should come as no surprise. There is other evidence that these types of policies apply to other pieces of Microsoft software as well, including Windows Defender. In the End-User License Agreement for Windows Vista it states that after searching your computer for software, if Defender finds any "potentially unwanted software rated 'high' or 'severe,' [it] will automatically be removed after scanning unless you change the default setting." Where "high" and "severe," are undefined terms, and where the default behavior is to delete the software (instead of just quarantining the software and asking the user if they want to delete it). It gets worse. Later on in the same section they warn you that Defender may remove or disable software that is "not potentially unwanted software." In layman's terms, "not potentially unwanted software," is also known as "your software."

At least Microsoft stays consistent with one policy: keep the user confused and unclear on all policies.

Category(s)
Licensing

Re:Stealth updates, deletions

Posted by tim0n at 2006-12-15 12:28
>At least Microsoft stays consistent with one policy: keep the user confused and unclear on all policies.
It's true! on my laptop with Windows Vista and internet connection 64kb/sec speed stealth update - big truble!
Damn vista...

Re:Stealth updates, deletions

Posted by bryansee bryansee at 2008-05-08 11:26
>Well, if Microsoft understands that a person wants to decide to install their own updates, then they should be respectful of that user's choice and be consistent with their policy. Being consistent means that they should tell the user that an update to Windows Update is available and that if they want it to continue to work properly, that this update should be installed. Maybe the user will decide to stop using Windows Update altogether, or maybe they will install the update. Either way, it should be the user that decides, not Microsoft.
Sure thing, I'll make sure that Windows 7 (we will know it later as Windows Paltrow or Windows Shatner) must let the user decides whether to install update, not Microsoft.

Re:Stealth updates, deletions

Posted by edward6 at 2008-06-16 13:09
hi
deletion,stealth updates are important one
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Re:Stealth updates, deletions

Posted by jacker2 at 2008-06-16 13:10
dude

Re:Stealth updates, deletions

Posted by aamir at 2008-08-13 10:01
here are cool links for vista wallpapers:

http://www.vista-wallpaper.org
http://www.windows-vista-wallpapers.com

enjoy!

Re:Stealth updates, deletions

Posted by radu at 2008-09-04 13:02
deletion,stealth updates are important one. I agree.(gazduire web)

Windows' Genuine Disadvantage

by mattl posted at 2008-01-17 10:55 last modified 2008-02-06 11:07

Recently it emerged that Microsoft is removing the "kill switch" from Vista.

When you install Vista, Microsoft claims that you consent to being spied upon, through the "Windows Genuine Advantage" system. This system tries to identify instances of copying that Microsoft thinks are illegitimate. This system includes a "kill switch" which allows Microsoft to remotely deactivate your copy of Vista. This deactivation, whether deliberate or by accident -- as has been the case in some 500,000 cases already according to a study last year -- locks you out of your computer, and forces you to contact Microsoft to get access to your files.

While they may have now ostensibly removed the kill switch from Vista, they have not updated the hostile license they say you must agree to in order to use Vista. Vista still restricts your freedom, because freedom at the whim of someone else is not freedom.

Vista still enforces Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) -- technologies that companies like Disney, Warner, Netflix, Universal, Apple, Sony, Amazon, Fox and Microsoft are trying to impose on us all in order to have control over how our computers are used.

The public backlash that led to the kill switch in Vista being "removed" is a sign that people want software freedom. Today, Microsoft cannot offer people what they want. Thankfully, all is not lost -- free software distributions of the GNU/Linux operating system offer that freedom today. One lesson we should all take from this is that if we speak loudly enough, and demand software freedom, it can have results. But we also shouldn't be fooled -- Microsoft has just hidden the kill switch behind its back, still claiming the authority to use it. More pressure is still needed, and the only thing that will work in the end is for Microsoft to release their software under a license that respects the freedom of computer users.

Category(s)
DRM
Licensing

Re:Windows' Genuine Disadvantage

Posted by polako22 polako22 at 2008-03-04 11:34
J think that Microsoft controlling us through Windows Vista and other stuff that is stock.
We are small mouses catch by the BIG CAT AND HI IS HUNGRY.Microsoft wants only money Vista Sucks THAT IS ONLY TRUTH NOT FOR ALL unfortunately :( :( :(

Re:Windows' Genuine Disadvantage

Posted by bryansee bryansee at 2008-03-04 11:35
What mattl said is true, the kill switch in Vista has been removed in Service Pack 1 in favor of prominent notices on machines found to be either non-genuine or non-activated. Despite these licensing restrictions, I still have total software freedom on my Vista machine. You should speak loudly and clear and demand software freedom - until Microsoft releases their software under a license which respects the freedom of computer users.

Re:Windows' Genuine Disadvantage

Posted by bryansee bryansee at 2008-03-10 17:19
"DRM" you said in this post refers to the Protected Media Path (PMP) which contains Protected Video Path. It tries to restrict copying of DRM-protected content (but not user's standard unprotected media). Also, the Trusted Computing feature which originally be slated to be included in Windows Vista, the Next Generation Secure Computing Base (NGSCB), which restricts users what they can do with their software, is removed. This is the sign of users wanting software freedom. If we take these removal of NGSCB as well as the "kill switch" in Vista as their lessons, we want more pressure, and the only thing that will work in the end is for Microsoft to release their software under a license that respects the freedom and privacy of computer users.

Re:Windows' Genuine Disadvantage

Posted by digi digi at 2008-03-27 14:16
Ugh... I hate Vista. All I've heard are bad things from it. It's making Windows more like Macs by making everything "user friendly" and simple. You can't do anything with it except basic functions made for idiots who don't know how to use a mildly complicated computer and in the end it just makes everything harder to use.

Re:Windows' Genuine Disadvantage

Posted by bryansee bryansee at 2008-03-27 14:17
Although there is no kill switch in Vista SP1, it enforces a Protected Media Path DRM. Seems that Microsoft is now giving up on Vista and is setting up business users to switch from Windows XP to Windows 7, which we will be seeing to be released under a license that respects the freedom and privacy of computer users, will be without DRM, and will get a very interesting name, I think it is going to be Windows Paltrow, named after actress Gwyneth Paltrow.

For now, encourage sites such as Crysis-Online and inCrysis to increase awareness of the restrictions and problems in Windows Vista and participate in the campaign to give more pressure, and the only thing that will work in the end is for Microsoft to release all of their software under a license that respects the freedom and privacy of all computer users.

Re:Windows' Genuine Disadvantage

Posted by bryansee bryansee at 2008-04-07 11:23
Taking action before the release of the next version of Microsoft Windows, as well as its service packs, is one of the most effective means we have to influence software freedom and represent our members' views to the world. I hope you guys continue these efforts as we are looking forward into the release of Windows 7 (known later as Windows Paltrow).

Re:Windows' Genuine Disadvantage

Posted by bryansee bryansee at 2008-04-09 12:17
I'd like to say that Windows 7, still in development, will claw toward the light (as Windows Paltrow), under a license which that respects the freedom and privacies of computer users that will only come in the result of more pressure needed, taking the removal of Windows Vista's reduced functionality mode as a lesson. Take a phrase from the Cylons from BSG: "All this has happened before, and it will happen again."

Re:Windows' Genuine Disadvantage

Posted by alex786 at 2008-05-15 14:28
There´s this URL about a guy complainting about his attempts to reactivate his authentic copy of Windows Vista. That's what's really annoying about vista: the lack of respect about our privacy and right to use the software for any purpose, once we have acquired it...

Re:Windows' Genuine Disadvantage

Posted by ptsniper ptsniper at 2008-09-16 11:59
The only thing that keeps "windows" or microsoft alive these days in my humble opinion is DirectX and the laziness of games developers, and of course the big name companies like dell etc who bundle windows.

if games developers created games using open source libraries, that were platform independant - and good, then alot of people would switch immediately to linux, us gamers who want our games to work the day it's updated without having to wait months for the few developers of projects like wine to get the games to work.

also if computer distributers gave customers a choice, more people might realise what windows is, and why they do not really want it, at least that's my 2c
About this blog
The BadVista campaign, started in December 2006, advocated for the freedom of computer users, opposing adoption of Microsoft Windows Vista and promoting free (as in freedom) software alternatives. It declared victory in January 2009, with supporters moving on to do the same work against Windows 7.

You can support the campaign by joining the FSF.

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