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| We should have a clear statement and description of the problems for freedom that network services introduce along with examples, classifications, and necessary context.
| | {{autonomous|Problems}} |
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| === Coders ===
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| * A number of coders have worked for long periods on code that they assumed would be 'free' only to discover that others were using their code (which they had distributed) as a service and not distributing derivatives.
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| * Some coders feel that an important freedom is the freedom to deliver applications on their own public accessible servers without sharing their derivatives.
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| * Some service interfaces and business models are patented, notably Amazon S3. See http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/07/06/0439245 .
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| === Public ===
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| * Generally, users of software as a service have a particularly difficult time gaining the freedom to copy, distribute, or study code.
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| * Users of some critical civic applications (like software running voting machines) have no way to study the code - undermining basic principles of democracy
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| * As software becomes used in nanotechnology (like health applications), the four freedoms will likely become more and more important in areas that are not generally seen today as domains for software
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| === Deployers ===
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| These are included kind of for completeness; it's nice (and practical, if we want any adoption to happen) to include the interests all parties in our discussion.
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| * "Free" and "open" have different meanings for service deployers. "Free" has come to mean "gratis", and "open" just means "anyone can use it (even if it may requires payment)".
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| * Typically free software requirements have stopped at the door of one's computer; it's nobody else's business what I do with my own software on my own server(s). Requirements on deployers will definitely give the appearance of being intrusive and asking too much.
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| * Custom software, like for a Web service, often has lots of glue code, twiddles, dependencies and hacks. These aren't often documented internally, much less ready for distribution to the world as Free Software.
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