Re: Relaxing mailing list requirement

On Fri, 19 Aug 2016, at 16:47, Martin J. Dürst wrote:
> On 2016/08/19 16:19, Tobie Langel wrote:
> > On Fri, 19 Aug 2016, at 09:06, Martin J. Dürst wrote:
> >> There are people (not me) who object to the use of sites such
> >> as github
> >> because it forces them to use non-free JavaScript.
> >
> > Afaik, ECMAScript has virtually the same RF IP policy as W3C as of last
> > year. So I don't think this really applies anymore.
> 
> The issue isn't the copyright or other kind of IP on JavaScript itself, 
> but the copyright on the actual JavaScript code used by a site.
> (For some background, see 
> https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.en.html.)

"JavaScript (officially called ECMAScript, but few use that name) was
once used for minor frills in web pages, such as cute but inessential
navigation and display features. It was acceptable to consider these as
mere extensions of HTML markup, rather than as true software; they did
not constitute a significant issue," says Stallman in that article you
linked to.

Given the whole content of GitHub issues can be browsed without login in
AND with JavaScript disabled, I think we clearly fall in the "minor
frills" category. So if Stallman considers that it does "not constitue a
significant issue,"  I think we can safely move on.

--tobie

Received on Friday, 19 August 2016 15:26:57 UTC