Re:Who does that server really serve? (2010)
by jolmg on Monday October 28, 2019 @08:19PM
(#21383171)
I think you missed the point.
For example, any SaaS can have a feature and decide to remove it, for whatever reason, and that results in a loss of freedom to you. For a concrete example, let's say that Github suddenly wants to add ads to their platform and because some people read and write issue posts with email, they decide to remove that feature so they'll be pushed to use the web interface and see the ads. That wouldn't be possible if the platform wasn't a SaaS.
Just being forced to see ads is a loss of freedom. Software should only serve the user, not do stuff like impose ads on them. Nobody is arguing against paying the software developers, just against not being in control of the software.
> Case and point: what happens when the user in this scenario is using a MacBook Air but wants to compute a large sum of data using a complex, time consuming algorithm? Go out and buy a cluster of systems to maintain software freedom, or pay AWS for some services (they likely offer), SaaSS if you like, to do it for you in 10 minutes for $0.45?
I don't think the argument is against the use of VPSes, but rather against the running of code you can't inspect/modify/control, in the case of SaaS because the code is not running on a machine you control. I imagine that RMS isn't against the use of VPSes where you have control of the code running. So, yeah, rent that AWS VPS, nobody is arguing against it. And if you can self-host a SaaS program (well it might not count as SaaS anymore) on a VPS you're renting, then there's no problem with that either, as long as you have control of the code.
For example, any SaaS can have a feature and decide to remove it, for whatever reason, and that results in a loss of freedom to you. For a concrete example, let's say that Github suddenly wants to add ads to their platform and because some people read and write issue posts with email, they decide to remove that feature so they'll be pushed to use the web interface and see the ads. That wouldn't be possible if the platform wasn't a SaaS.
Just being forced to see ads is a loss of freedom. Software should only serve the user, not do stuff like impose ads on them. Nobody is arguing against paying the software developers, just against not being in control of the software.
> Case and point: what happens when the user in this scenario is using a MacBook Air but wants to compute a large sum of data using a complex, time consuming algorithm? Go out and buy a cluster of systems to maintain software freedom, or pay AWS for some services (they likely offer), SaaSS if you like, to do it for you in 10 minutes for $0.45?
I don't think the argument is against the use of VPSes, but rather against the running of code you can't inspect/modify/control, in the case of SaaS because the code is not running on a machine you control. I imagine that RMS isn't against the use of VPSes where you have control of the code running. So, yeah, rent that AWS VPS, nobody is arguing against it. And if you can self-host a SaaS program (well it might not count as SaaS anymore) on a VPS you're renting, then there's no problem with that either, as long as you have control of the code.