Comments on: TiPb Retorts! 5 Reasons the Free Software Foundation’s 5 Reasons Not to Use an iPhone 3G Are Silly

By: Acai Juice

Acai Juice — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 06:45:50 +0000

I’m always into discussions on anything organic, so this read made me feel at home. I’ll bookmark the site and subscribe to the feed!

By: Badmofo63

Badmofo63 — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:22:58 +0000

Great retort, really. The FSF piece was less review than it was opinion, and it's been pretty well summed up here, that if you don't like it, don't friggin' buy it!

But there are a lot of us that DO like it. The FACT is, the numbers speak for themselves.

By: iPhoneMilk

iPhoneMilk — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:53:29 +0000

I would rather go out to eat dinner and have the chef cook me up something amazing right away, rather then me spending tons of time getting it the way i want it cooking it myself.

The whole point of a Mobile device is for it to just the way we are productive in a mobile environment.

I've had a blackberrry, a Treo, tons of other devices.

And i've found myself spending to much time "tweaking" or getting the phone the way i wanted it, just so i could use it.

the iPhone comes this way right out of the box.

Hats off to the linux guy for doing that with his Box. That's awesome i love hearing stuff like that. but honestly i don't feel like spending alot of time on my phone? why? well... that's why i got a mobile smartphone. So i would not have to spend time on it. So i could do things quickly, and easily. Be more productive on the go. (we forget about this so easily)

By: scott

scott — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:50:20 +0000

Look. The bottom line is that the iPhone does ot fit into a traditional phone category. As I heard it put, it is the first phone built by a computer maker, and as such, works like one. You have a “desk top” where you make your selection, and off you go. Gone are the menu’s of old. We now have a direct path to what we want. The complaints are nothing more that what MS had to endure about not opening up Windows to any Tom, **** or Harry that wanted a peek under the covers. Apple HAS to keep the control as is. It is their baby. And, it is only the SECOND phone they have produced. For all the finger pointers out there, go look at the second gen of your beloved Blackberry. It took a while for that to catch on too. And, that phone has very little in common with todays models. I think most of this type of garbage comes from a very anti-Apple / Steve Jobs faction out there. Nothing would be good enough to impress them. Apple understands that, and is happy to improve on this great product for the rest of us.

By: Anthony

Anthony — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:53:42 +0000

"One of the gentlemen I work with, Anthony, has rocked his laptop out with Linux in a way that’s every bit as drool-worthy as OS X, but I don’t have the midichlorians for that depth of geekery, b’okay?"

This "Anthony" chap sounds like he's a really cool cat.

By: Rene Ritchie

Rene Ritchie — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:12:05 +0000

@MZL, fair point, I tried to have it both ways, also pointing out the other freedom is restricted by the restaurant's chef. Going to an Italian restaurant and ranting that you aren't free to have Chinese food there makes the kind of sense that doesn't.

I like the GPL a bunch, and we all benefit from it, but I'll again point out that any license is by its very nature counter-freedom. They're just countering a different sort of freedom (and we can argue its an important license, but that still makes it a license).

I agree with you about the interest and niceness of the iPhone, and point out Apple achieves that kind of hardware, software, and services blend by being -- for good or for ill -- the way they are.

By: MZL

MZL — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:01:11 +0000

I was referring to your analogy: "Sadly, restaurants completely block free eating. Customers must PAY for the food..." from which I gathered that you made the error in distinction.

What I believe FSF is talking about is that the conditions for the AppStore is incompatible the distribution of GPL-licensed programs (or other similar copyleft licenses). This means that from the point of view of FSF, no free programs are allowed on iPhones.

Regardless of what ones own views of free vs. open source, I do see the point of both sides. Apple wants to control the platform, possible in their view for the benefit of the consumer. FSF wants open platforms, also in their view for the benefit of the customer. The possibility to choose another platform is not really that interesting for the discussion, since the iPhone hardware is really much nicer that other possible platforms hardware as is the base OS and applications.

By: Rene Ritchie

Rene Ritchie — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:07:07 +0000

MZL, nope, no confusing here (even use that in the article!). The FSF, however, is increasingly confusing them -- my free, informed ability to use whatever software best suits my situation.

And GPL isn't free, its a different set of restrictions. Maybe noble ones at their core, but still restrictions.

By: MZL

MZL — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:54:46 +0000

I think you are confusing free software (free as in free beer) with free sofware (free as in freedom). The FSF is concerned with the latter type of freedom, in particular with the GPL license for software, while they are not against charging money for software.

Personally, I agree with FSF in their complaints, but I have an iPhone anyway because it is so shiny and nice

By: Andreas B.

Andreas B. — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:09:04 +0000

I have a Openmoko Neo 1973. Nice hardware. Excellent screen. But the software does not even have proper power management, the phone will not stay up for longer than 2-3h, even without using it. I have a iPhone, which I use as my primary phone. I’ll get me a iPhone 3G, once available again. And I’ll continue to monitor how the Openmoko software evolves. Its evolving, but not fast enough. Its like Linux 1990.