Discussion
Loading...

Post

  • About
  • Code of conduct
  • Privacy
  • Users
  • Instances
  • About Bonfire
Michael Downey 馃Б
@downey@floss.social  路  activity timestamp 4 months ago

@bkuhn's Paradox

https://ebb.org/bkuhn/blog/2016/02/19/kuhns-paradox.html

#FreeSoftware #SoftwareFreedom #FOSS #FLOSS #OpenSource

Kuhn's Paradox

Each day, more lines of freely-licensed code exist than ever before in history.

Each day, it also becomes increasingly more difficult for users to successfully avoid proprietary software while completing their necessary work on a computer.
Kuhn's Paradox Each day, more lines of freely-licensed code exist than ever before in history. Each day, it also becomes increasingly more difficult for users to successfully avoid proprietary software while completing their necessary work on a computer.
Kuhn's Paradox Each day, more lines of freely-licensed code exist than ever before in history. Each day, it also becomes increasingly more difficult for users to successfully avoid proprietary software while completing their necessary work on a computer.
  • Copy link
  • Flag this post
  • Block
Evan Prodromou
@evan@cosocial.ca replied  路  activity timestamp 4 months ago
@downey @bkuhn this is good.
  • Copy link
  • Flag this comment
  • Block
Bradley M. Kuhn
@bkuhn@fedi.copyleft.org replied  路  activity timestamp 4 months ago
@evan

Thanks! 鈽猴笍

I just realized my Parodox is 10 years old in 7 months!

https://ebb.org/bkuhn/blog/2016/02/19/kuhns-paradox.html

I wish the last 10 years had proved it wrong.

I probably should have also predicted that most FOSS professionals of 2016 would work mostly on proprietary software by 2026. I thought it around the same time and was too afraid to put it in writing since it was so scary. But that came true too.

@downey

  • Copy link
  • Flag this comment
  • Block
Alex
@SpookyDoom@mastodon.gamedev.place replied  路  activity timestamp 4 months ago
@evan @downey @bkuhn not entirely true since proprietary software vendors can't use GPL code for example. Otherwise they have to make all of theirs GPL as well.
But it's very true that many Open Source projects suffer from a lack of ease of use, unfortunately. And from the totally false stigmata that closed source is somehow better.

I will gladly throw my money at any software company that runs their business as open source like Blender or Godot, though. DRM and sunsetting software is the worst

  • Copy link
  • Flag this comment
  • Block
Ivan Carapovic
@Chapz@mastodon.online replied  路  activity timestamp 4 months ago
@downey @bkuhn

Understandable, the gap between open source software and endusers is massive. You can't download it from a webpage, it needs to be from GitHub. You can't double click it to run it, you need to do an advanced rain dance to run it. Once it runs, you find it extremely difficult to use because the UI and UX is really poor.

Proprietary companies just slap those comfort and usability features onto existing open source code and call it a day.

  • Copy link
  • Flag this comment
  • Block
OS-SCI
@os_sci@mastodon.social replied  路  activity timestamp 4 months ago
@downey @bkuhn how old is this? i had the feeling we where on a turningpoint
  • Copy link
  • Flag this comment
  • Block
James Just James
@purpleidea@mastodon.social replied  路  activity timestamp 4 months ago
@downey @bkuhn I think the two statements are true, but it's not a paradox. The reason is because proprietary vendors are writing more code at a greater rate than Free Software writers do.

When they use permissively licensed libraries, it basically accelerates the proprietary software, thus compounding the problem.

Lastly, the Free Software world keeps forgetting the most important point: You don't win by being more free, you win by being better. Start writing better software.

  • Copy link
  • Flag this comment
  • Block
Log in

bonfire.cafe

A space for Bonfire maintainers and contributors to communicate

bonfire.cafe: About 路 Code of conduct 路 Privacy 路 Users 路 Instances
Bonfire social 路 1.0.0 no JS en
Automatic federation enabled
  • Explore
  • About
  • Members
  • Code of Conduct
Home
Login