GNU, Free Software, and Copyleft
"The hacker ethic refers to the feelings of right and wrong, to the ethical ideas this community of people had-that knowledge should be shared with other people who can benefit from it, and that important resources should be utilized rather than wasted"
-Richard Stallman, MEME 2.04 http://oikos.org/ecology/freeinte.htm
In 1984, Richard Stallman started working on the GNU operating system. What made this system different was Stallman licensed it under the General Public License, which has also been referred to as Copyleft. This means it is an open or "free" operating system. Open seems like it would have been a better name for the system than free. The term free as it applies here means, "enables others to copy, distribute, and make changes to software, as long as they don’t prevent others from doing the same thing." What this means is you can still pay for the software and you are free to with it as you please as long as you adhere to "they don’t prevent others from doing the same thing."
GNU, Free Software, and Copyleft all seem to be intertwined and I feel like I’m talking in circles.
I guess the easiest way to explain it is by
1.GNU is an operating system that Richard Stallman made.
2.He licensed it under a General Public License or Copyleft which means:
"Copyleft is a general method for making a program or other work free, and requiring all modified and extended versions of the program to be free as well." The key point in this is extended versions of the program must be free as well. This mean that some one can’t take the program and sell it without leaving it open to everyone else to make modifications.
http://Gnu.org is the best site I found explaining everything in detail also the MEME 2.04 link provides an in-depth interview with Richard Stallman which I found very interesting.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
The Underground GI Press
The Underground GI Press
As I read through the chapters of People’s Movements, People’s Press by Bob Ostertag, the section that peaked my interest was the selection about Jeff Sharlet and his paper called Vietnam GI.
Sharlet served two tours in Vietnam where he learned Vietnamese and worked in army intelligence. Upon returning to the U.S. he enrolled in College and joined the Students for a Democratic Society where he soon became the chair. It didn’t take long for Sharlet to be- come disenchanted with the group due to their "shallowness and snotty attitude." Rather than staying at a place where he didn’t "fit in," he returned to school for just one day, long enough to collect his scholarship check. Sharlet then used that check to launch his new venture.
Sharlet served two tours in Vietnam where he learned Vietnamese and worked in army intelligence. Upon returning to the U.S. he enrolled in College and joined the Students for a Democratic Society where he soon became the chair. It didn’t take long for Sharlet to be- come disenchanted with the group due to their "shallowness and snotty attitude." Rather than staying at a place where he didn’t "fit in," he returned to school for just one day, long enough to collect his scholarship check. Sharlet then used that check to launch his new venture.
The Vietnam GI immediately set itself above the rest of the underground newspapers. Instead of printing a newspaper for the populace in the U.S., Sharlet’s newspaper was printed for the GI’s still fighting in Vietnam. As I read through the different snippets of the newspaper that were included in the book, I found myself listening to an actual soldier talking about the war. Gone were the normal slogans you would expect to hear "Make love, not war" "Drop Acid, Not Bombs." The Vietnam GI printed honest insights from people that were in the middle of the conflict. Sharlet, having gone through the same experiences knew how they felt and it showed in his editor comments. (Which you can check out on page 129)
Jeff Sharlet passed away on June 16, 1969 and the Vietnam GI published the last issue in 1970. It makes you wonder, if Sharlet hadn’t passed away would the Iraqi GI be in print today.
Side note: I did a search to see if I could find an old issue of the Vietnam GI to see what the whole newspaper looked like. The only thing I could find was some microfiche copies on the Oregon State University site. I was disappointed to say the least. But I did find some information about the movie "Sir, No Sir" which is about the underground GI movement in this era.
Jeff Sharlet passed away on June 16, 1969 and the Vietnam GI published the last issue in 1970. It makes you wonder, if Sharlet hadn’t passed away would the Iraqi GI be in print today.
Side note: I did a search to see if I could find an old issue of the Vietnam GI to see what the whole newspaper looked like. The only thing I could find was some microfiche copies on the Oregon State University site. I was disappointed to say the least. But I did find some information about the movie "Sir, No Sir" which is about the underground GI movement in this era.
Above photo from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Sharlet_and_Vietnam_GI
Monday, April 14, 2008
Charles Tilly Seminar Essay
Charles Tilly Seminar Essay
Doug Richert
Tilly starts out discussing the beginning of social movements. What I found interesting was the description on page forty about the Lyon silk weavers.
Yesterday evening a band of about two hundred people came down from the Croix-Rousse into my quarter, led by an improvised master of ceremonies who carried a stave and who preceded four torch-bearers with sixteen-year-old carrying a red flag…Of these individuals, who seemed to range from fourteen to twenty five years of age, two-thirds were carrying staves. They sang the Marseillaise, the song of the Girondins, and then to the melody of the Lampions "Down with the Emperor! Long live the Republic!" On each side of the sidewalk, the band was followed by about thirty individuals thirty to forty-five years old who appeared to be workers and who seemed to be serving as protection.
This demonstration takes place on April 29th 1870. If we were to change a few words such as band, stave, and Emperor, it could pass for a demonstration taking place in Olympia today.
Tilly argues that the social movements have changed over the years, have they really? Or, as people have been given more rights, has it gotten easier to hold protests? The above such protest was held after an (approximately) fifteen year interruption due to the repression of the government. Today in the United States we are give the right to protest and as long as it stays peaceful, the protesters are not bothered. It would be interesting to find out how many protests are held on any given day here in the U.S.
Other countries do not have the same right to protest as we have. Often they are risking their lives when they join a social movement representing something as simple as basic human rights. Many times have we seen violent protests on TV from other countries. These people have no other alternative to get their government’s attention. The sad thing is the protesters lives may not be worth much and the protest turns deadly.
Technology has also changed the way social movements are mobilized. In class the term phone tree was used, Tilly used the same analogy, but instead of calling someone, they used text messages to get the information out. The internet has also changed the way social movements have grown. I did a Google search of "Green Movement" and there were 850,000 hits. The internet has made it much easier to get information out to the public. It has made it much easier for we the people to search out and obtain the information we are looking for. I don’t think the act of social movements have changed much over the last 150 years. It has just become much easier to make one happen.
Doug Richert
Tilly starts out discussing the beginning of social movements. What I found interesting was the description on page forty about the Lyon silk weavers.
Yesterday evening a band of about two hundred people came down from the Croix-Rousse into my quarter, led by an improvised master of ceremonies who carried a stave and who preceded four torch-bearers with sixteen-year-old carrying a red flag…Of these individuals, who seemed to range from fourteen to twenty five years of age, two-thirds were carrying staves. They sang the Marseillaise, the song of the Girondins, and then to the melody of the Lampions "Down with the Emperor! Long live the Republic!" On each side of the sidewalk, the band was followed by about thirty individuals thirty to forty-five years old who appeared to be workers and who seemed to be serving as protection.
This demonstration takes place on April 29th 1870. If we were to change a few words such as band, stave, and Emperor, it could pass for a demonstration taking place in Olympia today.
Tilly argues that the social movements have changed over the years, have they really? Or, as people have been given more rights, has it gotten easier to hold protests? The above such protest was held after an (approximately) fifteen year interruption due to the repression of the government. Today in the United States we are give the right to protest and as long as it stays peaceful, the protesters are not bothered. It would be interesting to find out how many protests are held on any given day here in the U.S.
Other countries do not have the same right to protest as we have. Often they are risking their lives when they join a social movement representing something as simple as basic human rights. Many times have we seen violent protests on TV from other countries. These people have no other alternative to get their government’s attention. The sad thing is the protesters lives may not be worth much and the protest turns deadly.
Technology has also changed the way social movements are mobilized. In class the term phone tree was used, Tilly used the same analogy, but instead of calling someone, they used text messages to get the information out. The internet has also changed the way social movements have grown. I did a Google search of "Green Movement" and there were 850,000 hits. The internet has made it much easier to get information out to the public. It has made it much easier for we the people to search out and obtain the information we are looking for. I don’t think the act of social movements have changed much over the last 150 years. It has just become much easier to make one happen.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Two Different Sites
Wild Steelhead Coalition
http://www.wildsteelheadcoalition.org/index.html
Mission Statement:
The Wild Steelhead Coalition (WSC) is an organization dedicated to increasing the return of wild steelhead to the waters and rivers of the Pacific Northwest.
The WSC is a non-profit organization that fights for the return of wild steelhead to our rivers which was established in 2000. I couldn’t find out how many members there are in this group, but from what I can gather from talking to other people, it is a fairly large organization in the state of Washington.
This group (along with many others in Washington) doesn’t seem to have a lot of influence with the government when it comes to putting policies in place. The problem with the sportsmen in Washington is we are too fractured, so we each form our little group to try and fight for what we feel is right. We are too many small voices to be heard.
The WSC Web site uses static web pages. The site is easy to navigate. I could find all the information I wanted to through the links on the left side of the page. The web site uses many links and has downloadable information. I feel it is put together very well for both the member who wants to keep up to date and nonmember who is looking for information which will help them decide if it is an organization they want to join.
Coastal Conservation Association
http://www.joincca.org
Mission Statement:
The stated purpose of CCA is to advise and educate the public on
conservation of marine resources. The objective of CCA is to
conserve, promote and enhance the present and future
availability of these coastal resources for the benefit and
enjoyment of the general public.
CCA began back in 1977 due to the over fishing by the commercial fleet in Texas. Since then they now cover the entire U.S. Atlantic coast, and just this last year, formed chapters here on the Pacific coast. CCA has a long track record of winning battles when it comes to the conversation of fish. They pick only battles they feel they can win, as they win these battles politicians began to recognize their power, and the battles become easier to win.
CCA’s web site uses static web pages. It is easy to navigate and find the information you are looking for. It informs both members and potential members of the inner workings of the group.
Neither of these web sites includes a blog in their pages. I’ve seen too many blogs where the conversation just turns into a pissing match and all relevant information tends to be lost. Both of these sights have a contact page where you can ask your questions.
http://www.wildsteelheadcoalition.org/index.html
Mission Statement:
The Wild Steelhead Coalition (WSC) is an organization dedicated to increasing the return of wild steelhead to the waters and rivers of the Pacific Northwest.
The WSC is a non-profit organization that fights for the return of wild steelhead to our rivers which was established in 2000. I couldn’t find out how many members there are in this group, but from what I can gather from talking to other people, it is a fairly large organization in the state of Washington.
This group (along with many others in Washington) doesn’t seem to have a lot of influence with the government when it comes to putting policies in place. The problem with the sportsmen in Washington is we are too fractured, so we each form our little group to try and fight for what we feel is right. We are too many small voices to be heard.
The WSC Web site uses static web pages. The site is easy to navigate. I could find all the information I wanted to through the links on the left side of the page. The web site uses many links and has downloadable information. I feel it is put together very well for both the member who wants to keep up to date and nonmember who is looking for information which will help them decide if it is an organization they want to join.
Coastal Conservation Association
http://www.joincca.org
Mission Statement:
The stated purpose of CCA is to advise and educate the public on
conservation of marine resources. The objective of CCA is to
conserve, promote and enhance the present and future
availability of these coastal resources for the benefit and
enjoyment of the general public.
CCA began back in 1977 due to the over fishing by the commercial fleet in Texas. Since then they now cover the entire U.S. Atlantic coast, and just this last year, formed chapters here on the Pacific coast. CCA has a long track record of winning battles when it comes to the conversation of fish. They pick only battles they feel they can win, as they win these battles politicians began to recognize their power, and the battles become easier to win.
CCA’s web site uses static web pages. It is easy to navigate and find the information you are looking for. It informs both members and potential members of the inner workings of the group.
Neither of these web sites includes a blog in their pages. I’ve seen too many blogs where the conversation just turns into a pissing match and all relevant information tends to be lost. Both of these sights have a contact page where you can ask your questions.
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