# LANGUAGE translation of https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-world-notes.html # Copyright (C) YEAR Free Software Foundation, Inc. # This file is distributed under the same license as the original article. # FIRST AUTHOR , YEAR. # #, fuzzy msgid "" msgstr "" "Project-Id-Version: free-world-notes.html\n" "POT-Creation-Date: 2021-09-09 20:25+0000\n" "PO-Revision-Date: YEAR-MO-DA HO:MI+ZONE\n" "Last-Translator: FULL NAME \n" "Language-Team: LANGUAGE \n" "Language: \n" "MIME-Version: 1.0\n" "Content-Type: text/plain; charset=CHARSET\n" "Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit\n" #. type: Content of: msgid "Free World Notes - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><h2> msgid "Free World Notes" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><address> msgid "by Tom Hull <a id=\"hull-rev\" href=\"#hull\"><sup>[*]</sup></a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><div><p> msgid "" "This page contains supplemental notes to the manifesto “<a " "href=\"/philosophy/free-world.html\">Only the Free World Can Stand Up to " "Microsoft</a>.”" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "In general, this critique reflects a more general line of thought, which is " "based on the recognition that the inefficiencies and ulterior motives in our " "current modes of production require much unnecessary work to produce " "products and services of often dubious merit for grossly inflated prices, " "effects which diminish the quality of our lives and the worth of our " "work. Nonetheless, my proposal here is not especially radical: it does not " "challenge the precepts of intellectual property; it requires no political " "action (not even the application of antitrust law); it can be initiated by a " "small group of people, and to some extent simply builds on work already done " "by various individuals and groups." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "Some paragraph notes:" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ol><li> msgid "" "Commercial software companies typically divide their costs into several " "sectors: development; manufacturing; marketing/sales; service; general and " "administrative. Development costs are usually less than 20% of revenues. By " "far the largest cost is marketing/sales, so most of what the customer is " "actually paying for is the persuasion to convince the customer to pay so " "much for something that costs so little to develop, and practically nothing " "to reproduce and deliver." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ol><li> msgid "" "More expensive software often includes after-the-sale service, which should " "be considered a marketing/sales cost, since it props up an extravagant price " "structure. Service should be considered a separate cost, independent of " "development. Free software is always delivered with no service, and " "customers who need service can obtain help independently, since the inner " "workings of the software are public knowledge." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ol><li> msgid "" "Media companies have comparable cash flows, but necessarily work within the " "technical standards of their media. Consuming their products does not in any " "way prevent or even disincline one from consuming competitive products." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ol><li> msgid "" "Microsoft likes to expand its operating system to eliminate the market for " "add-on software, such as for disk compression and networking. Microsoft's " "claim that IE is part of the operating system is spectacularly spurious." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ol><li> msgid "" "Microsoft's dominance is at least partly due to the lack of any significant " "challengers. Apple and IBM used their operating systems to lock customers " "into their hardware, and would at any rate have been rejected by the rest of " "the PC industry, which at least with Microsoft got access to the same " "product. Unix vendors have stuck steadfastly to higher priced markets, " "avoiding direct competition, even though NT is aimed directly at destroying " "Unix. The longer Microsoft goes without serious competition, the harder it " "gets to mount any such competition." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ol><li> msgid "" "The last sentence is a slight exaggeration. Many capitalists do in fact " "realize that they will never be in the position to wield the sort of power " "that Microsoft commands, and as such have no use for the megalomania that " "goes with such power." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ol><li> msgid "" "The main point, however, is that under current circumstances no sane " "investor will directly challenge Microsoft. The cases in other industries " "where challenges are made to dominant companies depend on the discovery of " "some significant cost advantage (e.g., MCI's challenge to AT&T), but " "cost advantages are essentially impossible in software, unless you're " "willing to forego all your margin, a position no investor will take." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ol><li> msgid "" "Antitrust laws work more for the protection of other businesses than to " "protect consumer interests, although consumers generally do benefit from " "increased, more even handed competition, at least in the long run. In the " "short run consumers may benefit more from crippling price " "competition. Netscape, for example, having gained a dominant market share in " "its niche, still cannot raise its prices because of Microsoft's competition, " "which is a windfall of sorts for customers." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ol><li> msgid "" "We talk much about the advantages of “letting the market " "decide,” but most business activity is oriented toward rigging the " "market. Look at any business plan and the key section will be something " "like “Barriers to Competition,” because competition kills " "profits, and successful companies are the ones that avoid competition, or at " "least are able to dictate its terms." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ol><li><p> msgid "" "The key thing here is that the free software must have at least the same " "level of quality and utility as the commercial software that it challenges, " "which means that it must be professionally designed and developed, tested " "and supported. Which means that free software must move well beyond its " "current niche as an academic hobby, to a point where it is supported by " "well-financed organizations that can attract and support quality workers." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ol><li><p> msgid "" "Of course, Microsoft (and all other commercial software companies so " "threatened) will do their best to compete with free software, and can be " "expected to do so as desperately as they compete with everything else. There " "will be many arguments floated as to why commercial software is better than " "free software. Many of these arguments are variations on the master " "salesman's boast that he can sell more $10 bills for $20 than a less " "convincing huckster can give away. Such arguments can be defeated by " "establishing that free software is quality software and makes sound economic " "sense. Some arguments are more substantial: commercial software companies " "have a huge head start; some such companies have convinced many users to " "trust their brands; the true costs of software include the time that it " "takes to learn and use, so no software is really cost-free; the investment " "that users and companies have in commercial software can make switching " "painful; many people still regard commercial software as something of a " "bargain." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ol><li><p> msgid "" "One issue that needs to be recognized and understood is the notion that free " "software, openly published in source form and freely inspected by anyone who " "has an interest or desire to do so, is worthy of far greater trust than " "closed, proprietary, secretive software. I for one found the installation of " "Microsoft's Internet Explorer to be a very scary experience: the computer " "running totally out of my control, reconfiguring itself, plugging into " "Microsoft's own web sites, setting up preferences and defaults according to " "Microsoft's business machinations." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ol><li><p> msgid "" "Sometimes I wonder whether Microsoft's underlying goal isn't simply to make " "the world safe for computer viruses. I'm not an especially paranoid person, " "but how can you ever know?" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ol><li><p> msgid "" "Consumers nowadays are so often (and so effectively) fleeced that there is " "much resistance to paying for something you can get away with not paying " "for, so this will be an uphill educational battle. There is a game theory " "problem here: Who should I commit to paying for a development which I can " "get for nothing if only I wait for someone else to pay for it? But if " "everyone waits, no one benefits." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ol><li><p> msgid "" "There are other ways to handle this level of funding, such as imposing taxes " "on computer hardware (sort of like the gas tax is used to build roads) or " "even on commercial software (sort of like using cigarette taxes for public " "health). Developing countries, in particular, should support free software " "development, since the notion of intellectual property must appear to them " "as one more form of tribute to the rich. These approaches require political " "efforts that are sure to be contested and hamstrung. I'm inclined to start " "small, start voluntarily, and see how far reason and civility takes us." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ol><li><p> msgid "" "It should also be emphasized that there is at present a substantial amount " "of free software already written and available, and that there are many " "organizations and individuals that have contributed to the development and " "dissemination and support of free software. What is missing is a systematic " "approach to funding development, and a strong and consistent system for user " "feedback and direction." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ol><li> msgid "" "I would estimate that free software can be developed to quality standards " "that meet/exceed commercial software for less than 25% of the price of " "equivalent commercial software. This estimate is based on common R&D " "expenditure levels plus a generous amount for those organizations which " "coordinate development and promote use. Given that free software is not " "compelled to become obsolescent (it can continue to be used as long as it is " "useful, whereas commercial software must obsolete old product to promote the " "sales of new), the costs for free software will decline over time, sharply " "except for the cases where new needs arise." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ol><li><p> msgid "" "Much of this work is already being done. What's missing is not so much the " "people or even the organization as a coherent sense of the economic " "imperatives. To date, free software has largely been driven by political " "sensibilities and the traditions of academic freedom, which have led it into " "a hodge podge of areas, many of which have very little impact on common " "needs and usages. (Some, such as the Web, have had major impact, and as such " "have attracted enormous commercial attention.) However, the driving force " "behind free software must be economics: why do we spend so much money " "propping up empires when all we really want are clean, simple programs that " "do our work? And why do software professions have to work for commercial " "companies when their skills and work are more immediately needed by users?" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ol><li><p> msgid "" "The argument that large companies (government, any organization that spends " "serious money on software) should routinely support free software " "development is strong and well focused. Even if such an organization never " "directly used free software, its existence would provide a damper on prices " "and a strong bargaining point with commercial software vendors. It is a " "win/win bet: free software, cheaper software, more options, more " "competition." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ol><li><p> msgid "" "It is completely obvious that free software organizations must be " "international in scope. It seems likely that most of the support for free " "software will come from outside the US, perhaps by an overwhelming margin." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ol><li><p> msgid "" "This proposal does not dispute the rights of intellectual property " "owners. Under this proposal it should be possible to buy or license " "technology where appropriate, and inventors should consider the possibility " "of selling their inventions to the free world. Whether intellectual property " "rights in fact encourage innovation in any useful way can be debated " "separately." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ol><li><p> msgid "" "Another aspect of this proposal is that it does not try to kill off the " "profit motive in software development. As I envision it, most of the free " "software work would be done by small companies bidding on contract " "proposals, presumably with the intent of making a profit. (The companies are " "likely to be small because they won't need to float a large marketing/sales " "organization, which is the main advantage big software companies have over " "small ones. Also because the free software networking organizations should " "work for providing sharable resources, such as capital and services, saving " "small companies from having to overextend themselves.)" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ol><li><p> msgid "" "My proposal is that free software will start out aiming to produce the most " "basic and most broadly used software: it will in effect harvest the " "“cash cows” of the commercial software industry, rather than " "attempt to innovate at the fringes of development. (Of course, innovators " "are more than welcome to contribute.) Beyond free software there will still " "be shareware and commercial products, which will to some extent compete with " "free software and to a larger extent open up new niches where free software " "is not yet available. The free software industry will provide a damper on " "the sort of prices that can be charged. It will also help lower the costs of " "all software development, and may eventually provide a salvage market for " "discontinued commercial software. Shareware may be a fruitful ground for " "speculative software development, with the goal being to develop and " "popularize a new product that can be sold off to the free market." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ol><li><p> msgid "" "Finally, I believe that no restrictions should be placed on the use of free " "software: that it can be repackaged, sold, incorporated into commercial " "products. Free software will reduce the development costs of commercial " "software, which will help make commercial software cheaper, better, more " "competitive: all good things. The goal after all is better, cheaper, more " "usable and useful software: victory is not measured in bankruptcies. The " "impulse to segregate free software from commercial software is doomed, as is " "the impulse to isolate free software from commerce. We live in a jungle of " "commerce, which no one can truly flee from, regardless of how offensive it " "may seem. The proposal here is to start to take short, deliberate, sensible " "steps toward reclaiming parts of that jungle for everyone's use and " "betterment." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "This implies, of course, that (following the Reagan demonology) Microsoft " "et al. are “The Evil Empire.” That's a joke, of course, but if " "it didn't harbor a shred of truth it wouldn't be funny." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><div><p> msgid "" "<a id=\"hull\" href=\"#hull-rev\">[*]</a> You may contact Tom Hull at <a " "href=\"mailto:ftwalk@contex.com\"><ftwalk@contex.com></a>. He is also " "the author of the Ftwalk programming language, a script programming " "language, which is free software available for Unix systems." msgstr "" #. TRANSLATORS: Use space (SPC) as msgstr if you don't have notes. #. type: Content of: <div> msgid "*GNUN-SLOT: TRANSLATOR'S NOTES*" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><div><p> msgid "" "Please send questions and comments regarding this specific page to Tom Hull " "<a href=\"mailto:ftwalk@contex.com\"><ftwalk@contex.com></a>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><div><p> msgid "" "Please send general FSF & GNU inquiries to <a " "href=\"mailto:gnu@gnu.org\"><gnu@gnu.org></a>. There are also <a " "href=\"/contact/\">other ways to contact</a> the FSF. Broken links and " "other corrections or suggestions can be sent to <a " "href=\"mailto:webmasters@gnu.org\"><webmasters@gnu.org></a>." msgstr "" #. TRANSLATORS: Ignore the original text in this paragraph, #. replace it with the translation of these two: # #. We work hard and do our best to provide accurate, good quality #. translations. However, we are not exempt from imperfection. #. Please send your comments and general suggestions in this regard #. to <a href="mailto:web-translators@gnu.org"> # #. <web-translators@gnu.org></a>.</p> # #. <p>For information on coordinating and contributing translations of #. our web pages, see <a #. href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations #. README</a>. #. type: Content of: <div><div><p> msgid "" "Please see the <a " "href=\"/server/standards/README.translations.html\">Translations README</a> " "for information on coordinating and contributing translations of this " "article." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "Copyright © 1997 Tom Hull" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "You may link to this document and/or redistribute it electronically." msgstr "" #. TRANSLATORS: Use space (SPC) as msgstr if you don't want credits. #. type: Content of: <div><div> msgid "*GNUN-SLOT: TRANSLATOR'S CREDITS*" msgstr "" #. timestamp start #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "Updated:" msgstr ""