How Did I Miss This Tripe?
Mainly because the only reporting I’ve seen on it was from the losers at Lifehacker. And what tripe am I writing about? Well, another “Don’t buy an iPhone” shit-piece from none other than the unwashed freetards at the Free Software Foundation. You know, your go-to neckbeards for opinions on consumer electronics. So, let’s take a quick belt of The Gin, fire up the Ranto-Matic 5000 and take a look at what I’m sure will be a reasonable essay.
iPhone completely blocks free software. Developers must pay a tax to Apple, who becomes the sole authority over what can and can’t be on everyone’s phones.
Really? I guess it sucks to be in the iPhone hacking community. I mean, I don’t like you dorks and you don’t like me; but I at least acknowledge that you exist. Right off the bat these dolts conflate the iPhone, with the App Store. More to the point (and this is entirely in keeping with these zealots narrow ass world view) they dismiss the hundreds, if not thousands of developers who a) don’t give a shit about “free” software and b) might actually like getting paid for their efforts.
iPhone endorses and supports Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) technology.
More of the same tripe. Waah, waah, the other people won’t join our cult.
iPhone exposes your whereabouts and provides ways for others to track you without your knowledge.
What!?! Now we’re going off the deep end into loony-town. Yes Location Services is exposed to developers. And yes, shit like Loopt is a privacy disaster waiting to happen. But I have it on good authority that the OS asks for confirmation before letting an app use that info; to an annoying degree from what I hear. But wait, there’s a more subtle criticism here. Just above these jackasses were complaining that Apple wasn’t giving developers complete unfettered freedom to do as they choose; and now the fact that developers can access the GPS information is a horrible thing. Get your shit straight you fucking hypocrites. Oh wait, I forgot, “freedom” only counts if it’s freedom to agree with them.
iPhone won’t play patent- and DRM-free formats like Ogg Vorbis and Theora.
Gods, this one again. These wastes of skin say the same thing about the iPod, look how that turned out. Earth to Moonvile, no one cares.
iPhone is not the only option. There are better alternatives on the horizon that respect your freedom, don’t spy on you, play free media formats, and let you use free software — like the FreeRunner.
HAHAHAHAHAHA!. Wait, let me catch my breath. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!. Sorry, there isn’t much I can say about that. The words, they fail me.
So, there’s your five reasons. Two are based on faulty assumptions, two are religious zealotry and one is laughable at best. But the bullshit doesn’t end there. These flabby sacks continue for another few paragraphs with the most retarded zealotry I’ve heard in a while. I could dissect the entire piece, but there’s drinking to be done; so I’ll include one more quote:
Apple, through its marketing and visual design techniques, is manufacturing an illusion that merely buying an Apple makes you part of an alternative community. But the technology they use is explicitly chosen to divide people into separate digital cells, and to position Apple as sole warden. When your business depends on people paying for the privilege of being locked up, the prison better look and feel luxurious, and the bars better not be too visible.
You heard it kiddies, we’re locked in a prison of Apple’s making. I know, it’s the Free Software Foundation; expecting reason is like expecting my dog to sit up and begin reciting Shakespeare, but at least I got to rant for a bit.
As an aside to Gina Trapani and the rest of the Lifehacker crew. I know you Gawker dipshits are all about the hitcount; but leave the iPhone bashing hype for your brethren at the Consumerist. They’re better at it, and it makes more sense coming from them. Stick with your strengths and keep shilling for David Allen.
Posted on July 16th, 2008 under Posts • Tags: Apple, freetards, iPhone, jackassery. • 
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July 16th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
“iPhone exposes your whereabouts and provides ways for others to track you without your knowledge.”
Stallman has asserted on several occasions that you can be tracked through any cellphone. Even when it’s turned off. He’s not batshit insane. Not at all.
July 16th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Wow… Apple’s technology is “explicitly chosen to divide people”… these lifehacker fucks sound like they’ve written some George Bush speeches before…
I wonder what they think of the happy minimum security prison that is the Microsoft “ecosystem”? If Apple didn’t have a secure system of okaying iPhone apps, these dumbshits would be complaining that the iPhone is too insecure…
Idiots.
July 16th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
@JB:
To be fair, that’s the FSF saying that not Lifehacker. Lifehacker (like all Gawker properties) is just doing what it takes to keep the hitcount high.
July 16th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Huh. Except for the claim that Apple hardware doesn’t run software that only exists in their imaginations, all their reasons are (Sorry for my lapse into technical jargon) squirrel jism.
Dear Freetards: Your parents’ basement may be comfortable, but someday you too may be called upon to pay rent and buy groceries. When that happens, you’ll want to be paid for your work assuming you ever do any.
When that happens, you’ll be glad there is a company and a culture that thinks freetards are fuller of shit than a stopped toilet in an abandoned Greyhound depot.
For those of you who haven’t kept up in the student textbook:
STFU = Shut The Fuck Up
July 16th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
Fuck Richard Stallman. (I don’t mean you personally should actually do that so please don’t hate me. I mean, that’s just nasty to even think about.)
July 18th, 2008 at 8:45 am
I think their point is that Apple has you by the balls when you buy an iPhone. Apple might be wearing a nice cotton glove with very clean hands and a feather grip, but they still have you by the balls. And if you’ll notice, the grip got a little tighter with the release of the iPhone 3G.
I don’t see how you can debate that.
July 18th, 2008 at 8:45 am
It all needed to be said. Thanks.
July 18th, 2008 at 8:48 am
Oh man - thank you for this. Love the whole rant, but this tidbit made my whole day.
July 18th, 2008 at 8:50 am
I emailed these nitwits this morning when I read their totally weird rant.
It’s a pity that there are plenty of the Apple-Hating-Taliban out there that will regurgitate this claptrap though…
July 18th, 2008 at 8:51 am
@justin:
No, their “point” is that the iPhone doesn’t fit into their narrow dogmatic world view. To which the rest of the non-whackadoo world say, so what. And what sort of bullshit is “…has you by the balls…” it’s a cell phone, not a fucking inalienable civil right.
July 18th, 2008 at 8:55 am
@justin:
> I don’t see how you can debate that.
I can get rid of my iPhone tomorrow. I just don’t want to. There is, in fact, no Apple thug in jackboots standing outside my house forcing me to keep my iPhone. So, how, again, does Apple have me “by the balls”?
July 18th, 2008 at 8:56 am
Is there an option for: “Everyone’s a loser”?
The FSF does a lot of good stuff, and the Open Source movement is a great idea. The idea of openness is a wonderful thing and it definitely should be encouraged.
Apple’s platform is very tightly controlled. It does limit what you can do and who can do what. All of that is true.
But the FSF is thinking of the phone as a computer, not as a widget of consumer electronics. Openness breeds complexity- more options are daunting to an end user. Let your average luser try and make an informed choice between Gnome, KDE or Fluxbox, and see what happens.
People don’t particularly want an open phone. They want a simple, easy to use phone that makes key tasks easy. The iPhone does that very well, so people are buying it (and if the local Apple store ever restocks on 16G phones, I’ll be joining their ranks).
Most people don’t care if they can run Open Office on their phone.
July 18th, 2008 at 8:56 am
@justin:
Oh, and when 20% of their argument is a flat out lie i.e. that Location Services reports your location behind your back; I have a hard time taking any of their arguments seriously.
July 18th, 2008 at 8:56 am
@justin:
“I think their point is that Apple has you by the balls when you buy an iPhone”
Uh, what phone manufacturer/Carrier in the US doesn’t? Shouldn’t this be “don’t buy a cell phone, keep using the telegraph”?
Why focus on Apple? Oh yeah, because they are publicity whores.
July 18th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Ok, the location services thing is kind of a frivolous argument, because it applies to just about any phone and the entire wireless industry. But that doesn’t mean it is not bullshit.
@Phoneman:
Uhh, isn’t a two year contract with AT&T and the inability to use it on another carrier kind of like a thug forcing you to keep your iPhone? Just sayin’.
July 18th, 2008 at 9:08 am
@TheIndustry
You can run any number of phones of comparable price, unlocked, without a contract on T-Mobile or (presumably) AT&T. Some of them even have a webkit-based browser.
July 18th, 2008 at 9:09 am
@justin:
What complete and utter entitlement bullshit. Last time I checked no one was forcing you to buy the gods damned thing.
And, while were at it, let me check my copy of the Declaration of Independence. Lesse, Life, Liberty, Pursuit of Happiness; but no mention of an iPhone. I guess old Tommy J. just forgot that.
You don’t like the iPhone, don’t fucking buy it.
Just sayin’.
July 18th, 2008 at 9:09 am
Pull your head out of Jobs’ colon, Mactard.
July 18th, 2008 at 9:10 am
me, i think the ugly-as-f*ck screenshot/photo of their “FreeRunner” says it all…
July 18th, 2008 at 9:10 am
Stop using the word ‘tripe’
July 18th, 2008 at 9:13 am
@Sebhelyesfarku:
Suck a dick, freetard.
July 18th, 2008 at 9:14 am
So, the basic premises are wrong anyway - here’s a post I made to /. yesterday:
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=617555&cid=24232891
… there’s nothing preventing open-source apps on the iphone.
July 18th, 2008 at 9:16 am
lol freetard ur helareus
July 18th, 2008 at 9:18 am
the point is , the iphone is GREAT but DRM is NOT GOOD FOR CONSUMER !
get it ?
and yeah, I fucking hate DRM files telling me I can’t use it on my family computer or works computer or whatever.
and YEAH , I fucking hate too I can’t program as I want on MY iphone.
-
and yes it’s true iphone is a really easy and nice phone, internet device and music player.
-
ho, and these filthy insane fuck gay-hetero-bisexual daemons beast putrid blasphemous indicible “freetards” are those working on many insides of Mac os X and iphone.
so yes, you can insult them, beat them and spit on them.
Why we should care about people creating software at all ? do the same to Apple to. fuck their engineers !…
very sad.
July 18th, 2008 at 9:19 am
@justin
The point is that total control by the vendor isn’t anything new in the phone ecosystem and people are used to it.
People also expect phones to ‘just work’ which is what Apple are good at getting right. From what I’ve heard about some of the OpenMoko alternatives, they don’t just work and if Linux is anything to go by, it will be years before the design by committee approach comes up with something as simple and elegant as the iPhone.
July 18th, 2008 at 9:20 am
On the iPhone being closed: The iPhone is very much wide open, as long as you dare to void our warranty. Your dishwasher may even become a drum machine if you reach the FPGA and reprogram it, you’ll just void your warranty of course.
The same for iPod, that’s what iPodLinux is made for, do what you want with the device.
The way the default iPhone OS is locked makes me just comfortable for the fact that apps cannot bypass security measures, like filesystem sandboxing and gps/other hardware access. Apps in the default system just can’t do very much damage.
July 18th, 2008 at 9:23 am
Since the mind-90s, any day now, free software has been supposed to stop sucking for users. It hasn’t yet. Show me non-shit products I can actually use today, and I’ll use them. To whit, Firefox. It’s silly to live in some imaginary fantasy-land of future software that never materialized.
(And nope, Ubuntu doesn’t not suck. Anarok also doesn’t not suck.)
OS X pounds Linux in every way I care about.
(Yeah, free software is great for behind the scenes infrastructure stuff and for programming tools.)
July 18th, 2008 at 9:23 am
@Simon :
the iphone even uses Free software inside (mostly the whole unix layer and Webkit).
it’s not the problem. the problem is, you are forced to use itunes to get software. so, by definition, there are no freedom beside Apple.
-
and, itunes app store is clearly, the best way to get and install software I saw for any device. pretty impressive.
We can understand the reason apple want to impose itunes (avoid virus, missteps and mischievous people sending bad applications) but in the same time, you loose what you can do on a mac or pc.
-
so , it’s all about different priorities. Some people care more about uses than easiness. others want More.
not complicate. and not insane to understand. There are no Bad Guy to kick and insult.
July 18th, 2008 at 9:25 am
@oomu: No, DRM is not good for the consumer. If you purchase apps through the app store, sadly, you’re stuck with it.
But odds are, you’re only trying to put those DRMed files on a very small set of Apple branded devices- unlike an MP3, which should work anywhere, these are obviously bound to OSX Mobile.
And, correct me if I’m wrong: the SDK is a free download, you can load apps onto a test device with it, but you have to pay a $99 fee to actually host them in the App Store. Doesn’t that imply that you can program how you want on your phone?
And, you can STILL jailbreak your phone. So to say you can’t use your device how you like is still not true. You can’t use your device how you like and get Apple to play along, but it’s retarded to expect such a thing anyway.
Apple cannot stop you from jailbreaking your phone. Apple doesn’t want to stop you from jailbreaking your phone, because they just want you to buy the damn phone. With the new must-activate model, they also guarantee that AT&T gets their pound of flesh no matter what you do when it comes to unlocking.
July 18th, 2008 at 9:26 am
@oomu: But you aren’t forced to get it from the App Store. You can also jailbreak your phone.
July 18th, 2008 at 9:30 am
@oomu:
Gods damn it, I won’t tolerate any reasonableness here!
July 18th, 2008 at 9:31 am
These FSF people are idiots. Their five “reasons” are all bullshit, factually wrong in every case.
An Apple “tax” on free apps? Uh, no. Developers can put them on the App Store for free, and users download them for free.
And DRM does not stand for “Digital Restrictions Management,” but rather, “Digital Rights Management.” Both the iPod and the iPhone play lots of DRM-free file formats–just not the specific formats the FSF idiots cite (formats that no one uses anyway).
And all that “prison” talk? WTF? Have any of these people ever actually been to prison? Um, yeah — like, maybe they should just not buy an iPhone if they don’t like it?
Sounds to me like a bunch of fools who can’t afford an iPhone thinking up reasons why no one else should have one, either.
July 18th, 2008 at 9:32 am
I have been quietly stewing over the FSF “announcement” since I read it. They’re completely, totally clueless. The only point that might even have merit is the “DRM is bad!”, and he immediately blames Steve Jobs personally for the labels refusing to drop DRM. Riiight.
Anyway, now I think I can let my rant die on the vine.
July 18th, 2008 at 9:35 am
> More to the point … they dismiss the hundreds, if not thousands of developers who a) don’t give a shit about “free” software and b) might actually like getting paid for their efforts.
“Free” software is not about not being paid for making it
July 18th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Why, that would be because the iPhone is neither a fucking Mac nor a fucking Wintel computer. It’s a smartphone. It does a lot, but it’s not a fucking full-blown general purpose computer.
I can put 3 big ass video cards in my wife’s Mac Pro, can I do that in an iPhone? No.
I can add dozens of USB and FireWire devices to an iMac or a Mac Mini. Can i do that with an iPhone? No.
Why?
Well, it’s not because Steve Jobs and Apple aren’t marching lockstep to that folk dancing retard’s song of judgemental stupidity.
It’s because they’re DIFFERENT FUCKING THINGS. Apple, Orange, Pear, Dildo. One of these things is not like the other…
For fuck’s sake is it even possible for the freetards to not bitch that a car is not a condor?
July 18th, 2008 at 9:37 am
@Lol:
Way to miss the point there chief.
July 18th, 2008 at 9:42 am
@oomu
Did you *read* the contents of the link I gave ? Where I downloaded the source-code of an application, compiled it, and installed it onto my phone without going anywhere near the app-store ?
It is *easy* to distribute open-source apps for the phone without using the app-store. The FSF piece is pure FUD, which is sad. I think they let their politics get in the way of their research before writing the piece, and my opinion of them as an organisation has suffered because of that.
July 18th, 2008 at 9:45 am
@Simon
Of course the freetards aren’t going to acknowledge the reality of jailbroken phones et al, because then they lose hit counts.
The only reason they even published this is because ragging on the iPhone gets you attention, and with people realizing that Open Source does not in fact require you to be part of the Stallmanolgy cult, and Torvalds telling Stallman and the FSF to go fuck themselves on a regular basis, they’re starting to feel a little insignificant.
I’m still waiting for them to eventually admit that the only purpose they serve is a collection point for whining entitlement queens.
July 18th, 2008 at 9:49 am
AT&T is complicit with illegal spying by the worst administration in history, and these guys are worried about the lack of open source software on the phone using their network?
The forces of evil in our country are gleefully watching as organizations like this one waste their time and resources on completely unimportant and, frankly, stupid causes.
July 18th, 2008 at 9:50 am
@JCW
But this isn’t even with a jailbroken iphone. This is official apple-supported policy! It’s all legit - you just use the ad-hoc certificate rather than the distribution certificate. Since you’re distributing source-code, each developer can sign the program *while* they compile the code, with their *own* ad-hoc certificate. That’s it - the resulting binary will work on the developer’s iphone.
Honestly, I don’t think Apple could have bent over much farther…
July 18th, 2008 at 9:52 am
@Simon
Oh yeah, I forgot about that one. But again, why would the FSF let reality get in the way of their attention-whoring.
July 18th, 2008 at 9:53 am
@Gene:
Thank you. Want a reason to boycott the iPhone; that’s one I could understand. Oddly, the FSF doesn’t seem to have an opinion on FISA. I guess the spying is OK as long as you use Linux to do it from.
note, the GNU/ prefix was intentionally omitted to annoy Richard Stallman
July 18th, 2008 at 9:53 am
@Gene: Now THAT’S a valid complaint.
July 18th, 2008 at 9:54 am
Don’t forget about us thugs who prefer Chinese slippers to jackboots. There’s a lot of us out here.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:00 am
@Angry Drunk
Fuck that “GNU/Linux” shit. GNU makes tools. Good ones, and that’s honorable. But just like I don’t own a “Makita/Toyota” or a “Snap-On/Chevy”, it’s not GNU Linux.
Stallman wants an OS with his name on it, maybe he should, you know, FINISH HURD.
But that would require him to do, you know, actual work.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:05 am
@John C. Welch: I HURD that was just vaporware, and always would be.
//And the hardware isn’t quite there for a true microkernel yet.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:06 am
I just bought a Sunbeam toaster oven, and, man, does Sunbeam have me by the balls!
Say I want to make toast in my Frigidaire refrigerator — no dice. Maytag dishwasher? Nice try.
And it’s not just toast. It’s cheese toast, cinnamon toast, the occasional toasted bagel, you name it.
So it also comes with this little baking pan. Great, I also can use this in the microwave, right? NO! This damned proprietary pan is made of metal and will explode and give me genital herpes if it comes near any other appliance!
Not only that, if I take it to my friend’s house and try to put it in his Black & Decker toaster oven … it’s too wide. Won’t fit at all.
When it comes to my toasting needs, Sunbeam has the whole gig locked up. It’s like those bastards want to divide us.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:08 am
So basically this blog is one reactionary swearing prolifically at people who disagree with him, with his fanboys following suit?
The argument you’ve laid out is a total joke, you’d be laughed out of a high school debate for trying to put forward this kind of “reasoning” and the only reason your commenters can’t see that is because their minds are so poorly stimulated that they are titillated by almost-clever swearing.
Whine about the FSF but at least they have the discipline (and education?) to outline a real argument with structured points. What you do is name-calling, but you haven’t rebutted any of their points, you’ve just laughed at them. Probably hastily and out of ignorance.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:09 am
@47itchy Awesome!
July 18th, 2008 at 10:10 am
So when my freerunner throws up a “no space on device /usr/bin” black screen of death, what number does my Mom/Dad/Girlfriend/Boyfriend not “build from source” friend call for support?
Oh yeah, none.
I’ll just tell them to log onto alt.bin.phone.open.moko.help.help.help and wait 24-48 hours for a solution.
also, fuck OGG and fuck theora, nobody gives a shit about your free formats. I could distribute a book on microfiche for free, doesn’t mean anyone would use it.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:11 am
@Jesse Arguing points in the FSF’s post just isn’t worth it. It’d be like arguing with the TimeCube guy.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:15 am
I hope they have some REAL hate saved up for the Nintendo DS, the PSP, all the cell carriers and all their software/media offerings, and the dozens upon dozens of other mobile devices and platforms out there that run similarly… No? How odd.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:17 am
@Jesse:
I see the train from ad-hominem town pulled in (look up the term if it confuses you). The FSF’s “argument” boils down to “But, you guys, why doesn’t anyone listen to me, anything we don’t agree with is evil; I’m being super serial.” They are an intellectual joke; their “arguments” were crap; and I delight in yelling at stupid people. I also enjoy scaring children and beating puppies. Deal with it.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:25 am
FSF is a little daft on this one. Location service can be turn off as a system preference. There are no free apps….OK let’s ignore the free apps you can download at the itunes store, if you jailbreak your iPhone you can use a ton of free apps that are out there….some of those apps are becoming free apps on the itunes store. It does not play DRM free formats like Ogg Vorbis and Theora. So the hell what. It plays MP3 and AAC files that are DRM free…..and some of those DRM free files are ones I bought from Apple.
Does Apple refuse some programs on the app store? I hope so! There is nothing worse than crappy, bug ridden software on a device as important as a phone. Windows programs, before they put out UI guidelines, were always great to track down where the developer decided to put the preference menu item. Microsoft still have not followed all the guidelines they set forth in their own UI standards. I think the biggest problem the FSF is having with the iPhone is that it is popular and it is making money. God forbid anyone making money on a product.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:29 am
@The Angry Drunk:
From what I can tell, you’re the engineer on that train, making several trips daily. Sure, you don’t outright say “the argument is wrong because they suck” but that’s still the effect of littering your diatribe with swears and insults directed at them. Gods only know what your intent is with that, I suppose it’s your style but that doesn’t mean I can’t call you on it.
Your summary of their argument is a total caricature and focuses on about 15% of their overall essay. Did you actually go read their article or are you just responding to Gina Sattrapi at LifeHacker? What you’re asserting as their argument is some kind hybrid between interpretation and projection. Perhaps “interprojection”?
When one of your refutations is to laugh and dismiss the point, that smacks of the same kind of elitism you seem to imagine them entertaining.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:31 am
Re: Location
Here’s the fun part. Yes, the cell phone companies know where your iPhone is, even if you turn off location-based services. But to that same degree, so does any OpenMoko or Nokia or Android.
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/wireless911srvc.html
Because it’s required by law for finding out where a 911 call came from. The difference is that the iPhone allows apps, if the user so chooses, to access that same information. So this means Android, OpenMoko, etc, are one of two things:
Like Apple, they ‘lock out’ the developer from the system by denying this functionality. Oooh! Evil closed system!
or,
Like Apple, they ‘let others track you’ by allowing this functionality. Oooh! Evil spying system!
July 18th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Dear Drunken Jerk,
Tripe is a wonderful, honest, straightforward food. The right thing to do with it is to fry it up, wrap it in a grilled tortilla with salsa, onion and cilantro, and use it to help soak up the tequila in your stomach. The right thing to do with an FSF skreed is to use it to wipe your ass. Please note the difference.
Summary for the slow: tacos de tripas = yummy. FSF = yucky. Thank you for your time. And go support your local taco cart guy, like, now.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:35 am
I think that while the FSF statement may have been over-dramatic and misled, they’re exactly right. If you care about the beliefs that they care about, you shouldn’t buy the iPhone. THAT’S all they’re saying, and comments on this page have said the same thing–if you care about those rights, don’t buy the iPhone.
No one likes poorly constructed arguments, and reactionary rants are pretty entertaining. We all have our positions, beliefs, etc., but there are MUCH bigger problems to spend our time on, as a @Gene pointed out.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:36 am
@Steve Fisher
Did you read the article at FSF’s website? It’s decidedly more lucid than any of TimeCube guy’s rants.
Any of the points can be contested reasonably, there’s no need to summarily declare it invalid and ideological.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:42 am
Fuck the FSF and their clueless bullshit. I don’t want to fuck with my phone - I want to use it. I don’t want to play crap on Ogg or whatever free format is out there. I don’t want to have open source that expects me to fix my goddamn device.
Freetards can use their crappy, boxy Linux handhelds with 1 hour battery life and incomprehensible user interface.
If I want to write and sell an app and make money its my right. Piss off.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Hahaha… weakly veiled fluff piece to promote that land mine called the FreeRunner. Jebus FSF is retarded can they name any other phone on the market that allows as more control than the iPhone? i think not
July 18th, 2008 at 10:47 am
@Jesse: “Ridicule is the only weapon which can be used against unintelligible propositions.” - Thomas Jefferson
Um, and then some shit about fiat and topicality. Thank you judge.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:52 am
By the way, there is probably no bigger drain on our emergency services personnel than assholes phoning in bogus 911 calls from their cell phones. I could only wish the government had better means than cell tower triangulation to locate said individuals. They don’t. So quit your whining and fear mongering.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:53 am
@Jesse - Yes, I’ve been reading the FSF for years. He is more lucid, but that wasn’t my point. My point was he has an equal grip on reality and equal zealotry in pushing it on others. There’s absolutely no point in arguing with a zealot. Facts just don’t matter, as we see from the story you’re defending.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:58 am
Actually it isn’t “complete and utter entitlement bullshit” to expect a cellphone maker to have the freedom to offer the hardware unlocked. Its a matter of public law. I’m in the Netherlands and the iPhone here HAS to be unlocked and able to be sold independent of any carrier. I think that’s good for customers and the cellphone maker. Apple has nothing to do with it, its a matter of regulation to keep the market open. In the states, you can see the effect of the failure to keep some markets open in wireless carriers, cable systems and internet providers. Corporate socialism in action. The companies themselves have nothing to do with it. Regulation does.
July 18th, 2008 at 11:02 am
@Ay Karamba:
Government “regulation” fails to impress me. I’ve worked in government and the one point I took home from the experience is that government is utterly incompetent at almost everything it does, especially “regulation.”
The markets are already open. Buy a different phone if you disagree with AT&T or any other carrier. Nobody is forcing you to use an iPhone.
July 18th, 2008 at 11:03 am
And, no, I fail to see why a company should be forced to sell you a product in a particular manner.
July 18th, 2008 at 11:06 am
@Ay Karamba:
Good for the Dutch, I heard you can get some great weed and wooden shoes there too. But it is “entitlement bullshit.” Apple doesn’t owe you an iPhone. If you don’t like the carrier options, buy a different fucking phone.
July 18th, 2008 at 11:10 am
@Ay Karamba:
And here’s the sensible position regarding carrier choice. In the U.S. no manufacturer is required to provide an unlocked phone, but at the same time they are prevented from using the DMCA to take action against any user who chooses to unlock their phone.
July 18th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Um, you people do realise that without the contributions of these “freetards”, your iPhone would be running OS 9 (or something equally shit), right? BTW, the fact that it’s running OS X, and that one develops software for it using the same tools and APIs, should be a clue that perhaps it *does* count as a computer of some kind. (”It’s not! Look, I’m holding it in my hand and making phone calls on it!” Er, right. OK. See you in the funny papers.)
Yes, the FSF argument isn’t put particularly well (especially the bit about privacy). Yes, most Free Software has shit usability, and god knows that I’d much rather use an iPhone than whatever the current state of OpenMoko or Android is. Trouble is, most of the arguments appear little more than “Freaky beardy guy hates my shiny new toy! BAD beardy man! BAD!” And then they have the gall to complain about irrational zealotry?
If I had to pick which kind of zealot I’d rather meet in a dark alley… I’d pick the Apple kind. Because they have fuck-all attention span.
July 18th, 2008 at 11:23 am
I agree with what everyone has said, except the those I don’t agree with. They really need to get their facts straight. It’s not rocket science, what they are saying is obviously wrong. But the people who I agree with are right. However, one of the people who I don’t agree with made a good point somewhere, and I agree with that, but it doesn’t contradict my position that those who I agree with have won the argument.
July 18th, 2008 at 11:25 am
FSF version of the iPhone.
Buy all your parts at cheap bastard-R-Us
Take the weekend to assemple them, some soldering may be required.
Connect your phone to a serial connection
du this boot image
use wget or curses to find the libraires you may want
do the ./configure;make;make install song and dance
find the applications you may want
do the ./configure;make;make install song and dance
now find a carrier that will let you put it on your network
and then another carrier if you don’t like the first one you got
Agreed, this works (it’s a LONG shot, but for sake of arguement it could), but I’d rather give someone $200 and have it working relatively quickly. Let’s assume you’re consulting at $50 and hour, this “free” phone actually cost you $2,400+ (assuming this was a weekend project)
Disclaimer: I use HP-UX, Linux and Windows at work, I’m 100% Mac at home. I use gcc, perl adn python daily. I also pay for things when I don’t want to mess with it.
July 18th, 2008 at 11:26 am
I don’t agree with me
July 18th, 2008 at 11:27 am
@diskgrinder: well I do agree with me
July 18th, 2008 at 11:43 am
What’s an opion?
July 18th, 2008 at 11:46 am
@Yoz:
That’s funny, I don’t remember the FSF having anything to do with the development of UNIX or BSD.
July 18th, 2008 at 11:47 am
Every time you call someone a name, it weakens your position. Also adding explanations and all caps doesn’t help.
But I guess it’s drunken, so what do I expect? It’s just that you seem to care so much about these things. Maybe you need to de-stress.
July 18th, 2008 at 11:51 am
I agree with Jesse. It would really be nice to find a response to the FSF’s post that actually addressed the content of their argument. So far I haven’t found one.
Unfortunately, a rejoinder like “HAHAHAHAHAHA!” doesn’t give me much insight into why the Neo Freerunner isn’t a “better alternative…that respect[s] your freedom, [doesn't] spy on you, play[s] free media formats, and let[s] you use free software.”
The response to point 1 (developers must pay a tax to Apple, who becomes the sole authority over what can and can’t be on everyone’s phones) is to point to the iPhone hacking community. But surely the FSF’s point is not at all about the technical challenges of hacking the phone but, rather, about the contractual restrictions that go along with developing for and using the phone. Sure, anyone can break a contract (the iPhone’s license is here [pdf]). But the FSF’s position on honoring licenses is fairly well known: if they thought it was acceptable for anyone to break a license agreement, they wouldn’t have bothered to author the General Public License. If The Angry Drunk thinks the FSF is wrong, and that it’s acceptable to break contracts, I’d invite him to give his reasons.
July 18th, 2008 at 11:55 am
@The Angry Drunk
I think it’s a pretty non-controversial thing to say that the people who have worked on BSD over the years and the neck-bearded freetards you’re basting here run in overlapping circles.
July 18th, 2008 at 11:58 am
@Brian:
I addressed the “content” of the FSF’s argument in the only way a rational person can; by mocking it. It just kills you people that no one actually cares about your precious software “freedom” doesn’t it.
July 18th, 2008 at 11:59 am
@Brian:
> Unfortunately, a rejoinder like “HAHAHAHAHAHA!” doesn’t give me much insight into why the Neo Freerunner isn’t a “better alternative…
Maybe it’s because Freerunner is like a cow having an explosive diarrhetic incident all over your living room couch?
July 18th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
@Phoneman
I wouldn’t know, because I don’t own a Freerunner. Do you?
July 18th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Unfunny. Unoriginal.
Good job. Keep up the drinking. It’s really working for you.
July 18th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
@Brian:
Nope but I had the misfortune of trying one. Utter garbage.
July 18th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Heh, somewhat amusingly, I emailed the FSF after reading that article whilst blind drunk last night. I think I said some similar things, although I might have been more rude.
July 18th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
@Ben Darlow:
More rude! Shit, I have to try harder next time.
July 18th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
@Brian, Jesse
Please *read* my posts (#22, #40) above - Apple make it easy to distribute open-source apps which anyone can compile without any reference to the app-store. If you pay the $99 for the devkit program, you can install these open-source apps on your phone too, without reference to the app store.
The FSF rant is built on a house of straw, because its fundamental tenet is just not true.
Does that address their position sufficiently ?
July 18th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Yay, the concern trolls have arrived to tell me how I can better present my “message” and question my use of time and resources.
July 18th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
@The Angry Drunk: I think the problem is that you’re an unfunny toll being linked to by and otherwise respectable mac blog for reasons beyond comprehension.
July 18th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Apparently I’m unable to spell today, either.
July 18th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
@Yoz:
Not true. “Freetard” has nothing to do with whether or not you like coding open source software. I’ve done that myself and enjoyed it thoroughly. Rather, “freetard” has everything to do with the entitlement attitude, religious zealotry and deliberate blindness to reality and facts.
Compare Raymond or Torvalds. Both are heavily into open source, but I don’t think I’d call either of them freetards.
July 18th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
@The Angry Drunk
I don’t know where you get off calling anyone a zealot. You are attacking people for criticizing a phone and the industrial giant that sells it. None of that criticism applies to you.
On the one hand we have the FSF who makes some points (legitimate or not) about Apple’s technology and business choices. They publish a well-structured argument detailing their reluctance about owning an iPhone. Agree with their argument or not, it conforms to the structure of a logical proposition.
Then, on the other hand we have a person who is not named in that article, a wholly unrelated person who becomes offended by this and takes it upon himself to defend Apple. He does this by responding in a fury of insults and absurd attacks. He claims to be rational about it, while dismissing points by laughing at them. He summarizes the long essay by the FSF, which visits many complex points, as simply: “But, you guys, why doesn’t anyone listen to me, anything we don’t agree with is evil; I’m being super serial.” And he’s actually serious about that.
Who’s zealous?
Frankly, you embody everything that’s wrong with the Internet and this country (America). Anyone who can pay $10/month to host a blog suddenl