Software freedom in the 21st century.
(Maybe a list of problems to be addressed)
A thread.
I saw a rant about how the FSF was doing the wrong things and it made me think about where the problems lie today.
So let's count down some problems.
We'll give the first few hits to the FSF:
The printer driver problem:
There's a useful feature the software doesn't have. You have the skill and desire to add it, but you can't because you don't have the source code.
The TIVO problem:
You'd like to adjust the software, but you can't, even though you have the source code, because the machine will only run code signed by the creator.
The Warcraft 3 Reforged Problem:
Some piece of software you use is replaced with an inferior version via automatic updates.
The Google Reader/Wave/Plus Problem:
Some piece of software you use is just taken away.
The iPhone Fortnite problem:
You're not allowed to install a piece of software on your own hardware because it's not on the approved list.
The PlayStation 3 Store problem:
Software for your hardware can no longer be acquired because supporting the platform is no longer commercially viable.
The Android Update Problem:
You can't get system updates for your hardware anymore because selling new hardware is more lucrative than supporting existing hardware.
The Android Custom ROM Update Problem:
You can't get system updates for your hardware anymore because the people who were supporting it for free bought new phones and no longer care about that model.
The SaaS problem:
You'd like to adjust the software, but you can't, because it runs on a server and you're just buying the service.