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I'm not usually the most idealistic when it comes to FOSS, but it's stories like this and Apple's stance of "trust us, we promise we know what we're doing and t

I'm not usually the most idealistic when it comes to FOSS, but it's stories like this and Apple's stance of "trust us, we promise we know what we're doing and that nothing is going to go wrong" that makes me think all software should be legally required to be open source.

dcow 5y ago
It would be if y’all slapped the AGPLv3 on your code instead of Apache/MIT/BSD. If we were to perform a cyber analog of what the founding fathers did for the USA 250 years ago, it would be something along the lines of declaring all software free from the tyranny of corporate control and state oppression. Free in perpetuity so that our digital projections onto hardware shall reside comfortably each in their own pursuit of happiness.
- cinquemb 5y ago
  > If we were to perform a cyber analog of what the founding fathers did for the USA 250 years ago, it would be something along the lines of declaring all software free from the tyranny of corporate control and state oppression. … and then proceed to conduct asymmetric warfare against state and corporate cyber systems alike.
  - dcow 5y ago
    If we use servers in China and Russia it’s essentially legal, right?
bnt 5y ago
How would OSS help in this case? Someone can run a hash, find an “offensive” photo and jail you. Shit, if someone is out to get you, they will dig up any photo on your phone, put it in the “bad hashes” database and just wait for Apple to catch you. And then you’re effed, because no court will want to publicly display a photo that may contain child pornography, so you’ll be jailed without a fair trial. OSS won’t help here. This system must be shut down, and the gov should deal with pedos in a different way.
- dcow 5y ago
  They said FOSS, not OSS. F means free as in freedom. As in you’re free to modify the software running on your phone at will and to your liking and Apple or some government can’t get in your way.. not even for the kids.
  - nicce 5y ago
    Processor microcode is closed source (Intel/AMD), including most of the BIOS code. You are having hard time to build your devices. Maybe we can see change in the future.
    - easygenes 5y ago
      * enter RISC-V *
      - bnt 5y ago
        So we force Apple to migrate away from ARM? Or should the next iPhone have a swappable CPU?
        dcow 5y ago
        I’m not sure I understand how microcode is a problem here. Microcode isn’t an OS. I can compile for arm 8.3 and execute those instructions on apple silicon just fine. The kernel is the only thing that gets in the way, not the microcode…
        cyberpunk 5y ago
        I guess they mean the coprocessor stuff, ime and whatever the AMD one is called. I mean this does forget the point that absolutely nothing is stopping anyone making a riscv processor which also has such features; we just have to take the manufacturer’s word that they don’t? Riscv isn’t the solution to any of these problems, but hopefully it’ll enable a few more ethical manufacturers to pop up who do make this stuff their core mission. Probably not, though.

dcow 5y ago

It would be if y’all slapped the AGPLv3 on your code instead of Apache/MIT/BSD. If we were to perform a cyber analog of what the founding fathers did for the USA 250 years ago, it would be something along the lines of declaring all software free from the tyranny of corporate control and state oppression. Free in perpetuity so that our digital projections onto hardware shall reside comfortably each in their own pursuit of happiness.

cinquemb 5y ago
> If we were to perform a cyber analog of what the founding fathers did for the USA 250 years ago, it would be something along the lines of declaring all software free from the tyranny of corporate control and state oppression. … and then proceed to conduct asymmetric warfare against state and corporate cyber systems alike.
- dcow 5y ago
  If we use servers in China and Russia it’s essentially legal, right?

bnt 5y ago

How would OSS help in this case? Someone can run a hash, find an “offensive” photo and jail you. Shit, if someone is out to get you, they will dig up any photo on your phone, put it in the “bad hashes” database and just wait for Apple to catch you. And then you’re effed, because no court will want to publicly display a photo that may contain child pornography, so you’ll be jailed without a fair trial. OSS won’t help here. This system must be shut down, and the gov should deal with pedos in a different way.

dcow 5y ago
They said FOSS, not OSS. F means free as in freedom. As in you’re free to modify the software running on your phone at will and to your liking and Apple or some government can’t get in your way.. not even for the kids.
- nicce 5y ago
  Processor microcode is closed source (Intel/AMD), including most of the BIOS code. You are having hard time to build your devices. Maybe we can see change in the future.
  - easygenes 5y ago
    * enter RISC-V *
    - bnt 5y ago
      So we force Apple to migrate away from ARM? Or should the next iPhone have a swappable CPU?
      - dcow 5y ago
        I’m not sure I understand how microcode is a problem here. Microcode isn’t an OS. I can compile for arm 8.3 and execute those instructions on apple silicon just fine. The kernel is the only thing that gets in the way, not the microcode…
        cyberpunk 5y ago
        I guess they mean the coprocessor stuff, ime and whatever the AMD one is called. I mean this does forget the point that absolutely nothing is stopping anyone making a riscv processor which also has such features; we just have to take the manufacturer’s word that they don’t? Riscv isn’t the solution to any of these problems, but hopefully it’ll enable a few more ethical manufacturers to pop up who do make this stuff their core mission. Probably not, though.