Free Philosophy: Part I
Beauty of doubt
By J. W. Pennington
Nearly every article that I have read in The Linux Gazette has been technical and / or practical, so let me apologize if this seems a bit "off topic." I am primarily an anthropologist, and as such have always been a bit more inclined to write about things more generally. Instead of the technical and practical, I want to wax philosophic for a bit on the subject of free software in general, and the Linux kernel in particular by "porting" a bit of my philosophy of life to the computer . I have tried to write these articles for both the newcomers to the Free Software Community (FSC) as well as for those who have been around a lot longer than I. I will not waste time on the definition of free software except to say that it is free as in freedom. For a definition, I would have the reader visit the GNU / Free Software Foundation website. The few facts that I intend to present will only be news to those unfamiliar with free software, while the philosophy- at least As seen from my vantage- will prob ably be new to all. My idea is to present what for the lack of a better term I call The Four Cornerstones to the Foundation of Free Software. These are the four main things that I consider vital to the Free Software Movement (FSM) in General, And to the Linux Kernel In Particular. They is, in no particular: DouBt, Cooperation, Non-Control (Read: Freedom), And Rebellion. I have a series, Because It Would Be A bit long as one article. In each case, I will give an explanation of what I mean by the idea and an example of how it pertains to the FSM. I also offer the opportunity for discussion / argumentation if anyone cares to explore "Free Philosophy "
further. To those few I invite the use of my email address at the beginning of these articles.The first cornerstone that I will discuss is that of doubt. It is a very powerful and useful word, unfortunately, doubt has gotten a bad rap for no-good reason. When one thinks of doubt, they are almost certainly consumed with thoughts of lies, fear, and uncertainty. It is a dark word, and one that we rarely use in association with someone or something that we love. This is wrong. I believe that doubt, often pure, serious doubt, is absolutely necessary for any true love and exploration of a subject. I also think that if it were not for doubt- and the admission of self-doubt- we would not have Free Software.
The FSC has a large share of doubt, and this has been one of its main strengths. We doubt that software will work properly, we doubt that it will work at all. We doubt that the code was written efficiently, we doubt that it couldn 't be better. Most importantly we doubt that we, ourselves, have written it the best way it could have been written. This doubt, about our product and about ourselves, is the main strength of all free software. Do not misunderstand me on this point. I am in no way suggesting that we are "suspicious" of every program that we use, or that we build binaries expecting them to fail. What I am suggesting is that we do not consider the program "complete," in the Sense That The Code Is Unable to be improved or change.
I'll Give You Two Scenarios To Illustrate My Point:
Scenario Ooney: I'm a guy who Has Been Programming Since I Was Twelve. I Know That I'm a DAMN Good (IF A Bit Arrogant) CODER. ONE DAY I FINISH A BIG Program That Is My Masterpiece. I Cried When I compiled this baby. Hell, I almost got divorced because of it! I have no doubt in my mind that this program is perfect! I would immediately punch anybody who said otherwise. So I market it. I box the binary and I ship it, Knowing That I'm Going to Be The next Bill Gates. Soon, i Find Out That I am The Next Bill Gates, After a fashion. My Program Locks Computers from here to new jersey. Not all of the, mind you, But Enough to hurt sales and make people wonder. The bad thing is that I can not figure out why. Certain people did not like it in the first place because it's big. Now, nobody want's it because it's big and buggy. Even though I Tested The Hell Out of That Program.What I don't know IS That Some Geek in Indiana Has Figure Two Computers, And The Program Only Crashs on One. IT 'S the Pentium II with the BX chipset on the motherboard. It also crashes his friends LX chipset computer. I have a Pentium Pro, but everyone wants a Pentium II these days, and they all want that extra speed on the board. Suddenly people START Realizing That My Product (and probably my programming) isn't Worth ITS Salt. My Masterpiece Has Faled.
Scenario two:. Same guy, same program, same long fight with his wife Is very sure that his program is perfect, but has just enough doubt (read: wisdom). To know that there is always somebody better He has just enough doubt to realize that a program can be written in so many ways that his chances of using the best one in this situation are not 100% and his chances of using the only good one for every situation are pretty near 0%. So he offers his product as free software. He gives everyone the right to use it and modify it, hoping that no-one needs too, but knowing that many will do so anyway. Unfortunately, the program creates a nightmare for him by crashing every computer from here to New Jersey . in this scenario, however, there's a geek in Indiana who figures out the problem and writes a patch. Within weeks the patch has fixed the problem, and within months his program is ported to Alphas and Macs, something that he did not even Consider. His Program Is A Success Because He Realized T Hat He Wasn't the one and only "god of programming." He Had Just Enough Doubt to Temper His Delusions of Perfect.
Granted, this is a very simplistic situation, but it does highlight my main point. A lack of doubt, in every situation in life, leads to problems. Admission of doubt allows the possibility of another option, it is an opening, of sorts, to different ideas. to have absolutely no doubt is to become fanatical, and when one becomes fanatical, all options- all doors- close. All possibilities for change, or consideration of other methods are destroyed. ironically, the fanatic's love for a subject eventually becomes its downfall. In the long term, and more radical situations, the very subject of the fanaticism is itself destroyed, because all thought that improvement or change could even be necessary are anathema to the fanatic's beliefs. Eventually, the subject of the fanaticism becomes Something Wholly Different, And Offten Counter, To Its Original Purpose.
It's easy to see this closing of doors, options, and thought by looking at the worlds of politics and religion. It is also easy to see by looking at the world of proprietary software. Corel recently released its version of WordPerfect 8 for Linux, and has since been touting that the Linux community has a "desire for proprietary software," both on it's website and in the press. The company is so sure that its product is perfect, that it is just what the Linux community wants, that it was patting itself on the back just days after the program's release. I can only assume, knowing what I know about people and bureaucracy, that it laughs at any notion that the majority of the Linux community could possibly be silly enough to consider its program big and buggy, despite all the evidence to the contrary. The fact that, in the Linux community, "proprietary" is often a derogatory word, has never crossed their minds. My prediction is that they will continue to measure their "success" by the numb er of downloads, and not by the number of people who continue to use it on a regular basis. I suspect that many (myself included) downloaded it and almost immediately discontinued its use. The likelihood of a decrease in users is increasing because of good Free Software Word Processing Program and The Continued Growth in The AppReciation of EXISTINGOS Such as Emacs.
The FSC keeps doors open by holding on to that most important resource:. Doubt We are never happy or completely certain that something is "perfect," or that no-one else is able to improve on something If it works, it is used. and respected, but if someone, anyone, thinks that they could improve it- that's admired. We are also protected from the follies of proprietary software in another way. in the world of free software, KISS is the name of the game. The idea is often to Keep It Small and Simple (or my preferred version, Keep It Simple, Stupid). Here, the doubt is that a program that is a behemoth, with a lot of unnecessary fluff, is better than a small one which performs the same function, often more reliably. This is inherent protection from the delusions of grandeur that taint so many proprietary programs. Free software tends to keep its feet on the ground, instead of becoming the bloated dreams of a few hungry individuals.Netscape recently learned of Some of the benefits of the fr ee Software Movement when it released its code. Apparently, within days (perhaps hours) there was a group of Australian hackers who improved the code, increasing its security. This event was not only good for Netscape users, who have benefited from the increased security ..., but to Netscape as well The company now has a better product to offer the consumers The free software method offers a no-lose situation, and it guarantees success The reason for this is the next cornerstone that I will be discussing: Cooperation . I will return next Month To Exped On That IDEA from The Vantage Point of My Favorite Linux SOAPBOX.
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Philosophy of freedom (a) - the beauty of the doubt: JW Pennington Typically, the major Linux site read almost all technical articles, so before you have not started reading this article, let me first say sorry, Because this article will be a bit separated from technical nature articles. My own career is engaged in anthropology, so I don't think of it, I usually like to start with ordinary angle. Here I will try to explore the free software (free Software) with a more different angle, and join a little personal philosophy. In addition, I hope that I will not understand the newcomers who have just stepped into the free software community (Free Software Community), but not in front of the masters. However, I will not waste time to define and explain what is free software, but if you want to know more about free software, you are welcome to this URL GNU Engineering and Free Software Foundation (GNU / Free Software Foundation visits. For those who are not familiar with free software, what I have written may be news, but it is in your opinion on your computer - it is definitely a new impact. Here, I will start from four points, and these four points can also be said to be the four ideological foundations of GNU engineering and free software movement. They are: "Doubt" (Doubt), "Coorperation", "Non-Control / Freedom", and "Rebellion). I will write the article twice, because if I integrate an article, I will be too long. On each item, I will interpret my personal opinion and have explained how it is related to free software. Of course, I hope that everyone should not give you a view, if you have any opinions for "Freedom Philosophy", everyone may wish to discuss. The first item I will discuss "doubt." "Suspected" is a very powerful and useful word, but very unfortunate, this word is always a bad impression. Whenever you think of it, you will always hook it with "lying", "fear", "uneasy" and so on. This is a negative word, which is generally believed that we will not use or rarely use the words on the trusted, loved one or something. But this idea is wrong. I personally think that before the so-called true love, I have to pass a series of "strict", "pure" "doubt" test. I also believe that if we have not passed these "doubts" and "self-responsibility", we will not have today's so-called "free software". In the free software movement, we often share a lot of "skeptic", which is also one of the powerful factors that achieve free software. We often doubt whether this software can work normally, and often doubt whether it can get a business. We often doubt that we can make efficient in software source code, often suspect that it is not good. And most important, we suspect if we are writing it in the best way.
And this "doubt", "doubt" about our own and our results, is a powerful factor in free software. Hey, don't misunderstand me. I don't recommend you to doubt every one you use every one you are using Software, or to write a software that does not want to succeed. What I propose is that we don't consider the software we have written is "complete", rather than self-circular, said that our source code is no longer further improved. Here, I will explain the "doubt", I will explain two different cases: a case one: I start writing a procedure in the age of 12 years old. I think I am absolutely a very powerful, competent process Writtenman. One day, I completed a world. When I successfully compiled it, I was so happy. And, I am still divorced with my wife! There is no doubt that this is absolutely It is a perfect program! If someone says it is not, I will definitely he will. Next, I put this package and launch the market sales. I know that I will be another Bill G $. Soon, when I After some fashion, I found that I really became another Billgetz. From here, all the machines who run this procedure from New Jersey have problems. Although it is not all computers, it is enough to let the company's loss What people are curious. The worst is that I can't find something wrong. Recall that there is a lot of people because this procedure is too big, but now, no one will ask for such a full The cumbership of the vulnerability, even if I try to find a way to remedy. At this time, there is a problem that lives in Indian finds. He has two computers, but this procedure is only problematic. And this It is a Pentium IV computer. The same place, his friends also have the same problem on the same type of computer. But this software is only tested in my Pentium III. Today, everyone wants to have a pentium. IV computer, everyone wants his computer to run fast. Therefore, people find my procedures (or my writing skills) is actually not then a matter. My world is failed. Case 2: Also a person It is also a program, which is also a rack with his wife. It also feels that his procedure is perfect, but he has enough suspicion (or interpretation as wisdom), let him think that there are people, there is a day outside. He has enough suspicion Let him think that a program can have a lot of writing methods, and his program is not 100% on this type of computer, and it is almost 0% in various different types of machines. Because of this, he provides this procedure for free software. He gave each user to use and make any modifications, he hopes that there will be no more than many people need to be modified, but with it. He also knows that there will be Many people will make a revision. It is also very unfortunately, this program has also brought a nightmare for him, from here to all machines running this procedure from New Jersey. In this scenario, in this scenario, a living in India Ann people discover the problem, but in different, this person made a relatively patch of this program. And within a week, this patch solves the problem, and in the next month, this program is more successfully ported to Alphas and Mac, which is all the people who have written this procedure. The success of this person is because he clearly knows that he is not a "God" of the program. He just has enough suspicion to soften him to believe in his procedure. Obviously, this is just a simplified situation, but it has highlighted the theme I want to express. Lack of doubts, every stage in life, will bring us problems.
Through suspicion, we have been allowed to have other possibilities, which is also the beginning of integrating a variety of different good ideas. If you lack your doubts, it becomes fanatics and blind, that is, you have a door to the choice. This will lose the possibility of changing, let alone chose. Ironically, fanatics usually bear the fall. In the case where time is gradually dying, the fanaticism is self-destruction, because changes or progress is a curse for them. Finally, it will become something you really don't know, even with your initial destination. Through the political and religious world we can easily see the idea of this closed door. And in the world of commercial software, we can also see this situation very clearly. Corel launched its WordPerfect 8 for Linux in 1999, which would definitely attract the favor of Linux communities. They are very sure their WordPerfect 8 for Linux is definitely perfect, and it is believed that this is the Linux community, and hiding behind it. But the truth is that the Linux community is generally believed that "business" is derogatory, and even never appears in their minds. Corel often measures their so-called "success" in the number of downloads, rather than how many people continue to use. The truth behind it is often, and the real user gradually decreases because of the rapid growth of free software, and the examples of handle have OpenOffice, Emacs, etc. On Free Software Movement, our thought portal is ready to "beautiful doubts". We will never completely affirm that things are "perfect", or no one can improve it. If this procedure is feasible, it will be used to use and respect. But if someone thinks he can make further improvement, this will be very popular. In the world of free software, KISS is its criterion, means: "Keep It Small and Simple). Here, we doubt a giant behemoth of the appearance, is better than a free software that can make the same function, stable but smaller but smaller. This is the protection of free software, it is used to stay away from "perfect complimentary" corrosion. In the world of software, free software is a step in the road, instead of hungry dreams from a child. As early as 1998, when Netscape disclosed its source code, the benefits of it were. Obviously, in a few days of its public code (maybe a few hours), there is already a set of hackers from Australia to help them modify the source code and increase their security. This is not only the benefits of users, but Netscape also benefits from it. Obviously, in the free software world we always look at a win-win situation, see it, and step by step, step forward to success. The so-called "Coorperation" will also be discussed in another article. Original from: http://www.linuxgazette.com/copyright 1999, JW Penningtonpublished in Issue 37 of Linux Gazette, February 1999 --------------------- ------------
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