10.24.13

Gemini version available ♊︎

Hackable (as in Freedom-Respecting) is Becoming Hip Again

Posted in Free/Libre Software, Hardware at 9:04 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

The young Stallman

Summary: The ascent of machines that are controlled by their users rather than by companies and sociopaths who may run them

ONCE upon a time, the likes of Bill Gates demonised and ostracised people who had shared code and ‘dared’ to suggest that control over software should be put in the hands of many (the users). But that selfish ideology is quickly eroding. Nowadays, devices that sell well are those which empower users, both at the hardware and software level. Raspberry Pi, for instance, is selling quite well [1] and creating jobs in the UK. The Raspberry Pi Foundation sure is thriving [2] and it is getting support from some large corporations. Arduino too is doing well [3] and it’s hardly alone; this is part of a trend now [4] — something we never saw in previous years.

Software freedom is very important, but it is not enough. If hardware refuses to boot particular bits of code (e.g. TiVoization) or if Free software like Ubuntu indirectly trasmits your search queries to strong CIA partners like Amazon, then freedom is seriously compromised. We need to work at many levels to assure that hackability (as in modifiability) returns to being the norm. █

Related/contextual items from the news:

  1. Baked in Britain, the millionth Raspberry Pi

    For British computing this is quite a day. The Raspberry Pi Foundation has announced that a million of the tiny cheap computers aimed at transforming education have now been made in the UK.

  2. The Raspberry Pi Foundation aims to make a Pi for the internet of things

    The creators of the $25 credit-card-sized microcomputer Raspberry Pi didn’t intend to start a hacking revolution — they just wanted to encourage a new generation of young computer users to learn how to program.

  3. Arduino boards to run full Linux thanks to TI’s new ARM-based chip
  4. Hackable DVR dual-boots Android and Linux

    A Shenzhen-based startup called Wizarm has launched an Indiegogo campaign for a hackable media player with DVR recording, HDMI pass-through, Miracast support, and video overlay capabilities. The Wizarm device dual-boots Android and Linux on a Samsung Exynos 5250 system-on-chip, and offers SATA storage and extensive I/O including USB, HDMI in/out, DisplayPort, and S/PDIF.

Share in other sites/networks: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • Reddit
  • email

Decor ᶃ Gemini Space

Below is a Web proxy. We recommend getting a Gemini client/browser.

Black/white/grey bullet button This post is also available in Gemini over at this address (requires a Gemini client/browser to open).

Decor ✐ Cross-references

Black/white/grey bullet button Pages that cross-reference this one, if any exist, are listed below or will be listed below over time.

Decor ▢ Respond and Discuss

Black/white/grey bullet button If you liked this post, consider subscribing to the RSS feed or join us now at the IRC channels.

DecorWhat Else is New

  1. [Meme] EPO's Management Brainstorm

    The story behind a misleading slogan told above

  2. The Photo Ops Festival of the Funky President António Campinos and Revolt From the Patent Examiners Whom He Perpetually Oppresses

    European Patents are being granted for no reason other than application and renewal fees, awarding European monopolies to companies that aren't even European (only about a third are actually European); staff of the EPO is fed up as it regards or views all this as an extreme departure from the EPO's mission (and it's also outright illegal)

  3. Links 21/03/2023: Trisquel GNU/Linux 11.0 LTS

    Links for the day

  4. Back Doors Proponent Microsoft Infiltrates Panels That Write the Security Regulations, Press Fails to Point Out the Obvious

    Cult tactics and classic entryism serve Microsoft again, stacking the panels and basically writing policy (CISA). As an associate explained it, citing this new example, Stanford “neglects to point out the obvious fact that Microsoft is writing its own regulations.”

  5. IRC Proceedings: Monday, March 20, 2023

    IRC logs for Monday, March 20, 2023

  6. Links 20/03/2023: Curl 8.0.0/1 and CloudStack 4.18.0.0 LTS

    Links for the day

  7. Standard Life (Phoenix Group Holdings): Three Weeks to Merely Start Investigating Pension Fraud (and Only After Repeated Reminders From the Fraud's Victims)

    As the phonecall above hopefully shows (or further elucidates), Standard Life leaves customers in a Kafkaesque situation, bouncing them from one person to another person without actually progressing on a fraud investigation

  8. Standard Life Paper Mills in Edinburgh

    Standard Life is issuing official-looking financial papers for companies that then use that paperwork to embezzle staff

  9. Pension Fraud Investigation Not a High Priority in Standard Life (Phoenix Group Holdings)

    The 'Open Source' company where I worked for nearly 12 years embezzled its staff; despite knowing that employees were subjected to fraud in Standard Life's name, it doesn't seem like Standard Life has bothered to investigate (it has been a fortnight already; no progress is reported by management at Standard Life)

  10. Links 20/03/2023: Tails 5.11 and EasyOS 5.1.1

    Links for the day

  11. Links 20/03/2023: Amazon Linux 2023 and Linux Kernel 6.3 RC3

    Links for the day

  12. IRC Proceedings: Sunday, March 19, 2023

    IRC logs for Sunday, March 19, 2023

  13. An Update on Sirius 'Open Source' Pensiongate: It's Looking Worse Than Ever

    It's starting to look more and more like pension providers in the UK, including some very major and large ones, are aiding criminals who steal money from their workers under the guise of "pensions"

  14. Services and Users TRApped in Telescreen-Running Apps

    TRApp, term that lends its name to this article, is short for "Telescreen-Running App". It sounds just like "trap". Any similarity is not purely coincidental.

  15. Links 19/03/2023: Release of Libreboot 20230319 and NATO Expanding

    Links for the day

  16. Great Things Brewing

    We've been very busy behind the scenes this past week; we expect some good publications ahead

  17. Links 19/03/2023: LLVM 16.0.0 and EasyOS Kirkstone 5.1 Releases

    Links for the day

  18. IRC Proceedings: Saturday, March 18, 2023

    IRC logs for Saturday, March 18, 2023

  19. Links 18/03/2023: Many HowTos, Several New Releases

    Links for the day

  20. Links 18/03/2023: Tor Browser 12.0.4 and Politics

    Links for the day

  21. Links 18/03/2023: Docker is Deleting Free Software Organisations

    Links for the day

  22. IRC Proceedings: Friday, March 17, 2023

    IRC logs for Friday, March 17, 2023

  23. New Talk: Richard Stallman Explains His Problem With Rust (Trademark Restrictions), Openwashing (Including Linux Kernel), Machine Learning, and the JavaScript Trap

    Richard Stallman's talk is now available above (skip to 18:20 to get to the talk; the volume was improved over time, corrected at the sender's end)

  24. Links 17/03/2023: CentOS Newsletter and News About 'Mr. UNIX' Ken Thompson Hopping on GNU/Linux

    Links for the day

  25. The European Patent Office's Central Staff Committee Explains the Situation at the EPO to the 'Yes Men' of António Campinos (Who is Stacking All the Panels)

    The EPO’s management is lying to staff (even right to their faces!) and it is actively obstructing attempts to step back into compliance with the law; elected staff representatives have produced detailed documents that explain the nature of some of the problems they’re facing

  26. Links 17/03/2023: Linux 6.2.7 and LibreSSL 3.7.1 Released

    Links for the day

  27. GNU/Linux in Honduras: 10% Market Share? (Updated)

    As per the latest statistics

  28. Links 17/03/2023: Update on John Deere’s Ongoing GPL Violations and PyTorch 2.0

    Links for the day

  29. IRC Proceedings: Thursday, March 16, 2023

    IRC logs for Thursday, March 16, 2023

  30. RMS: A Tour of Malicious Software, With a Typical Cell Phone as Example

    Tonight in Europe or this afternoon in America Richard M. Stallman (RMS), who turned 70 yesterday, gives a talk

RSS 64x64RSS Feed: subscribe to the RSS feed for regular updates

Home iconSite Wiki: You can improve this site by helping the extension of the site's content

Home iconSite Home: Background about the site and some key features in the front page

Chat iconIRC Channel: Come and chat with us in real time

Recent Posts