[LGM] g+ hangouts on air

[Jon Nordby]

On 20 November 2013 01:37, Dave Crossland <dave at lab6.com> wrote:
>
> On 19 November 2013 18:27, Jon Nordby <jononor at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> I would like to point out that Google Hangouts is an entirely
>> proprietary service
>
>
> I'm curious how you reach this conclusion :-)
>
> There's 3 subpoints to point 3; use of free or nonfree software to watch,
> upload, livestream, and record.

I guess I will have to explain myself then.
The three concerns are valid, but for Google Hangouts and Youtube they
are only free-as-in-freedom if one uses a very narrow definition of
"use".

If Google ceases to run, changes, or simply decides to refuses me
access to the Hangout or Youtube service, which is software running on
their servers for which I do not have the code, nor any right to
obtain, it will be impossible for me to either watch, upload,
livestream or even record video - the functionality of said software
system. With this in mind, I find it hard to argue that I was not
"using" that service.
Per the terms of service, they have the freedom to do such a thing at
will, and I have the freedom to... moan and bitch about it, but not
much more.
I certainly cannot run YouTube or Hangouts for any purpose, study how
the program works, redistribute copies of YouTube or improved versions
of it (the four essential freedoms).

Furthermore, when you are using a website or webapplication which
requires non-free JavaScript to execute in your browser to function
you also directly using non-free software. This is a position held
both by RMS[citation-needed] and Bradley Kuhn[0].

0. http://ebb.org/bkuhn/blog/2013/11/13/unpaid-tradeoff.html (footnote 0)

-- 
Jon Nordby - www.jonnor.com