As someone said on IRC this morning: “the FSF
appear to have come up with the
perfect plan for how to look like a bunch of annoying,
smart-arse tossers“. Has the Free Software Foundation gone
nuts?
Update 13:30: I don’t seem to be
alone on this: popey, mgdm,
ZDNet,
Slashdot.
I’ve been saying for a while that the more zealous
methods used by proponents of Free software have been
somewhat over-the-top, and do more to detract from the FOSS
public image than to build upon it in a constructive way.
Now they’ve taken a sip from the poisoned Kool-Aid.
The FSF, via it’s Defective by Design campaign, is
advocating that people block-book sessions at an Apple Store’s
Genius
Bar, a sort of drop-in and bookable repair and support
centre. “Having lots of slots booked will get
Apple’s attention and ensure that the Geniuses have
done their homework”, says the ‘Apple
Challenge’ page, posted by FSF employee Matt Lee. The rationale
apparently is that Apple is now the enemy, since Vista is
doing more damage to itself than anyone else can from
outside Microsoft, and the first target are the Apple
Store’s Genius Bars.
My employer purchased both AppleCare and ProCare for my
MBP, which has come in extremely handy when the
‘O’ key snapped off (keyboard replaced
overnight), my battery failed to hold a charge (replaced
immediately upon attending pre-booked Genius Bar session)
and my motherboard GPU failed (motherboard replaced in 90
minutes). Now imagine any of the following scenarios:
you’re unsure how to use your newly purchased Macbook;
you’re trying to connect a camera to your Mac to
transfer photos to iPhoto and print them to send to
relatives in a frame; your machine has failed in some way
and urgently needs repaired, as you use it for your
business. You try to book a session at the Genius Bar to
resolve any of these issues, and … it’s fully
booked. For days. Wow, they must be busy.
Well, no, it’s actually a bunch of uber-asshole
Free software zealots thinking they’re
“special”, attempting to monopolise a consumer
resource in an attempt to “educate” or
“catch out” Apple Store employees, some of whom
may have used Macs for years, others may have had a crash
course in Apple products so that they know as much as they
can about the stuff they sell, but little else. Why harass
these people? It’s like having a constant stream of
people going up to the counter at McDonald’s and
espousing the benefits of a low-carb, high-fibre diet to the
person who can do the least about it. Genius Bar employees
may know all about FOSS, but critically it’s
not their job to promote it. It’s not a
“product” to be “sold”, but a
philosophy to be shared.
A plea to the FSF: stop harassing Apple staff, and stop
alienating the very people you’re trying to
“save”. There are better, more ethical, more
agreeable methods to promote FOSS. What you’re doing
is none of those things. In the meantime, you’ve
virtually guaranteed I will never promote, condone,
contribute or donate to any FSF body, project or campaign.
I’ve had a “Warning, DRM”
defectivebydesign.org sticker on my Macbook Pro for a while
now, mainly for comedic value. It’s gone now. I no
longer want to be seen to be promoting these idiots in any
way. As much as I love the thought of Free and Open Source
Software being used everywhere and anywhere, this is just
not the way to be going about it.
