Richard Stallman's early warning about the cloud
Summary
Bobbie Johnson describes Stallman's criticism of centralised web services that hand control over programs and data to providers. Stallman used the term cloud critically at the time. Many cloud applications already ran exclusively on providers' computers back then.
Ideas
- Web services replace locally controlled programs with remote execution that cannot be inspected.
- Providers determine availability, terms and possible changes to functions.
- Central data collections make surveillance and commercial exploitation easier.
- Open protocols allow switching between compatible services.
- Self-hosting preserves technical control but requires running it yourself.
- Free software alone does not protect against dependence on other people's servers.
Insights
- Software freedom has to consider execution, data storage and network access together.
- Convenience shifts operating costs and decision-making power at the same time.
- Portability needs exportable data and interchangeable counterparts.
- Decentralisation limits the damage caused by individual outages and rule changes.
Facts
- The criticism distinguished local free software from remote services.
Recommendations
- Prefer services with complete data export and open protocols.
- Keep local backups of important data independently of the provider.
- Assess self-hosting by control, effort and recoverability.
References
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