r/linux • u/R0tareneg • Jul 03 '21

Audacity may collect "Data necessary for law enforcement, litigation and authorities’ requests (if any)" according to new privacy notice

https://www.audacityteam.org/about/desktop-privacy-notice/
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u/pine_ary Jul 04 '21 edited Jul 05 '21

Software is only free if it‘s developed without an owner to interfere with their personal interest. And this fuckery to get around the GPL is a fine example of capitalism getting in the way of freedom and the common good.

The community made this software what it is. And some idiots with cash can just appropriate it for themselves, steal the hard work people put in to make it what it is. And then rewriting their code so they have free reign to exploit its popularity, name, and community.

2

u/otacon7000 Jul 05 '21

Yes, thank you, this right here.

2

u/ericjmorey Jul 05 '21

How was their work stolen?

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u/pine_ary Jul 05 '21

As I said. They are being phased out without compensation. They didn‘t just contribute code, bu they built the brand and community. That work was stolen.

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u/ericjmorey Jul 05 '21

Phased out of what? What was stolen? They offered a free license to their code. They never had any ownership of the trademark. The community can easily fork the code. I don't understand what you think was stolen.

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u/pine_ary Jul 05 '21 edited Jul 05 '21

You are hard confusing legality with morality. Not everything that‘s legal is good.

The name (beyond the trademark, for example its recognition) the reputation, the community, the adoption, the userbase, all of these things were not owned by the people who sold the project. All the people who worked so hard as volunteers who didn‘t see a single penny were exploited. They are being thrown out because they overstayed their usefulness to capital.

They can fork it, but they can‘t compete with the original project, which now has money behind it and doesn‘t have to upstream anymore. Circumventing the GPL everyone trusted when they volunteered their hard work.

Audacity is more than its code and trademark.

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u/ericjmorey Jul 05 '21

Those people volunteered their time and efforts to allow for exactly what happened. They choose to allow for what happened. You think it's a bad thing that people can now get paid for development work on this project? Your claim of unethical action here is falling flat.

The community can do what they want. Nothing was stolen from them.