Re: [gNewSense-users] [Off Topic] Will you be getting Microsoft Vista?

[Dave Crossland]

On 30/01/07, Yavor Doganov <address@hidden> wrote:
> Dave Crossland wrote:
> >
> > The majority of the world prefers hosted webapp MUAs to any other
> > kind.
>
> There are free web MUAs, such as Squirellmail, HastyMail, Horde's
> client (was of some generic name) and probably others

Horde looks better than what I've previously seen - thanks for mentioning :-)

However, the "hosted" in "hosted webapp" is important. I can barely
keep up with how to do residential class systems and network
administration, because my job is not in the sysad business.
Administering a webapp is far far outside the ken of most users.

> > Google's email webapp has the best usability, features, storage
> > and speed.
>
> And is non-free, which completely discards the rest of your statement.

That webapps are non-free is a relatively recent concept for me, as
the software is not running on my computer.

The Allegro clause in the GPLv3 could have been recognition that
webapps are non-free, and as the GPL should not allow free code to be
made non-free, webapps based on GPLv3 code must always be free.

The Allegro clause in GPLv3 is only an option, though. So its unclear
to me how to consider webapps.

The web is troublesome for freedom anyway: Isn't all the javascript
you run in your free software browser non-free? Isn't all the Flash
programs you run in Gnash non-free?

> Using any other non-free program (or
> webapp, which is a program) is practically the same -- sacrificing
> your freedom and accepting your master for the sake of convenience.

Search engines, eBay, Amazon, Lulu, and so on - all are webapps whose
functionality can't be replicated by locally installed software. What
*can* we do?

--
Regards,
Dave