Richard Stallman: Valve su GNU/Linux un bene o un male?
Nonfree DRM’d Games on GNU/Linux: Good or Bad?
by Richard Stallman
A well known company, Valve, that distributes nonfree computer games
with Digital Restrictions Management, recently announced it would
distribute these games for GNU/Linux. What good and bad effects can
this have?
I suppose that availability of popular nonfree programs on GNU/Linux
can boost adoption of the system. However, our goal goes beyond making
this system a “success”; its purpose is to bring freedom to
the users. Thus, the question is how this development affects users’
freedom.
Nonfree game programs (like other nonfree programs) are unethical
because they deny freedom to their users. (Game art is a
different issue, because it isn’t software.) If you want freedom, one
requisite for it is not having nonfree programs on your computer.
That much is clear.
However, if you’re going to use these games, you’re better off using
them on GNU/Linux rather than on Microsoft Windows. At least you avoid
the harm to your freedom that Windows
would do.
Thus, in direct practical terms, this development can do both harm
and good. It might encourage GNU/Linux users to install these games,
and it might encourage users of the games to replace Windows with
GNU/Linux. My guess is that the direct good effect will be bigger than
the direct harm. But there is also an indirect effect: what does the
use of these games teach people in our community?
Any GNU/Linux distro that comes with software to offer these games
will teach users that the point is not freedom. Nonfree software in GNU/Linux
distros already works against the goal of freedom. Adding these
games to a distro would augment that effect.
If you want to promote freedom, please take care not to talk about
the availability of these games on GNU/Linux as support for our cause.
Instead you could tell people about
the Liberated Pixel Cup
free game contest,
the Free Game Dev Forum, and the LibrePlanet Gaming
Collective’s
free gaming night.
Secondo Richard Stallman la disponibilità di giochi non liberi su GNU/Linux può di certo aumentare l’adozione del sistema. Un bene ma anche un male perché l’obiettivo principale dei sistemi GNU/Linux non è avere successo, bensì garantire la libertà degli utenti
Giochi con DRM sono immorali perché negano la libertà agli utenti.
Aggiunge che se proprio volete usare questi giochi è meglio usarli su sistemi operativi GNU/Linux piuttosto che su Microsoft Windows (fra i due mali il minore n.d.r.). Questo può altresì incoraggiare gli utenti ad abbandonare Microsoft Windows in favore di sistemi operativi GNU/Linux.
