Hello,
Thanks for your input,
We share your concerns about user freedom and the "_javascript_ trap".
Note that the goal of this GSoC project is not to make Ring "browser-based"
nor to load any Ring source code from remote servers (_javascript_ or not),
but to provide NodeJS bindings to eventually have a single client code base
across multiple desktop platforms.
In that case the entire Ring code base would still be GPLv3+, including
JS/HTML/CSS code, and would entirely be shipped with Ring clients
to run locally (no webapp).
Writing beautiful UIs using HTML/CSS is much simpler and accessible to many
less-experiences developers than with GTK/QT/other toolkits.
We deeply care about user freedom and a major goal of the Ring project
is to ensure that users can securely communicate without depending on any
external infrastructure or organization.
Best regards,
Adrien Beraud
Ring developer,
Savoir-faire Linux
From: "Adonay Felipe Nogueira" <address@hidden>
To: address@hidden
Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2017 10:58:06 AM
Subject: Re: [Ring] GSoC: Asad Salman
Welcome and thanks for your participation! I look forward to help you
whenever I can. :)
I'm not a "big picture" in the GNU Ring project yet, nor a developer,
just a user that happens to care for freedom of other end/non-tech
users. However, I also happen to be interested in how to ensure that the
end/non-tech user receives such freedoms, this often involves knowing a
bit of licensing practices and which are pro "free/libre software" and
which are pro "open source only".
I also have been studying the fragmentation of instant messaging
software these days, and whether they are free/libre or not.
One issue that I found common to those browser-based instant messaging
software is that they subdue the end/non-tech user to the _javascript_
trap ([[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/_javascript_-trap.html]]). While
_javascript_ itself isn't bad (because it's a computer language), the way
it is made to interact with the user often involves being forced to
automatically run some software, without clear indication of which is
being run, it's license, where to get the complete corresponding source
files, no filter that allows blocking non-free software, and the fact
that _javascript_ is *client-side* language, all of this amounts to the
fact that the user of software written in _javascript_ is often the
website/webapp visitor, so website/webapp copyright holders and
developers must make sure that the essential freedoms of the software
are being transfered to the end/non-tech user.
*Personally*, I think that, since Ring is a GNU project
([[http://www.gnu.org/software/ring/]]), we must make sure that the
end/non-tech user doesn't fall in the _javascript_ trap. This *doesn't*
mean that we must deny making a webapp, but it means that we must make
things right, contrary to what most webapps are doing.
As long as I don't have to do any coding, I can volunteer on aiding in
the legal issues including which _javascript_ comment markup is needed in
order for GNU LibreJS to recognize a _javascript_ code as free/libre (be
it a script file, an embeded script in the page, or a HTML/_javascript_
event handler). However, as I'm currently unable to apply for GSoC, and
since I'm currently unemployed and not paid for the work I do as
free/libre software activist, I can't guarantee that I'll be available
to work on this full time.
Anyways, to summarize: If you have any questions on how to avoid the
_javascript_ trap, and which _javascript_ comment markup or which HTML
structure is needed for that, just show me the current setup and ask.
--
- [[https://libreplanet.org/wiki/User:Adfeno]]
- Palestrante e consultor sobre /software/ livre (não confundir com
gratis).
- "WhatsApp"? Ele não é livre, por isso não uso. Iguais a ele prefiro
GNU Ring, ou Tox. Quer outras formas de contato? Adicione o vCard
que está no endereço acima aos teus contatos.
- Pretende me enviar arquivos .doc, .ppt, .cdr, ou .mp3? OK, eu
aceito, mas não repasso. Entrego apenas em formatos favoráveis ao
/software/ livre. Favor entrar em contato em caso de dúvida.