Comments on: At Night, the Robot Slept http://www.movingtofreedom.org/2007/09/18/at-night-the-robot-slept/ free software, free culture, free association Fri, 29 Aug 2008 23:38:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.11 by: Scott Carpenter http://www.movingtofreedom.org/2007/09/18/at-night-the-robot-slept/#comment-3222 Wed, 19 Sep 2007 20:22:36 +0000 http://www.movingtofreedom.org/2007/09/18/at-night-the-robot-slept/#comment-3222 Hi, Bill. After researching these things my wife had her eyes on the Scooba also. We'll see how this thing does first. I was wondering about that EULA also. The value would seem to be in making good hardware here, and the more that people used it, for whatever purpose, the better. I think partly it's the typical knee-jerk "control everything" impulse, but to be fair, I didn't read the agreement closely at all. I did see where you have to ask for permission for a commercial license, so it's definitely not free. Will be interesting to watch. For now it's an appliance and a novelty (to me, anyway). Over time, let's hope freedom will spread to all these new devices. Hi, Bill. After researching these things my wife had her eyes on the Scooba also. We’ll see how this thing does first.

I was wondering about that EULA also. The value would seem to be in making good hardware here, and the more that people used it, for whatever purpose, the better. I think partly it’s the typical knee-jerk “control everything” impulse, but to be fair, I didn’t read the agreement closely at all. I did see where you have to ask for permission for a commercial license, so it’s definitely not free.

Will be interesting to watch. For now it’s an appliance and a novelty (to me, anyway). Over time, let’s hope freedom will spread to all these new devices.

]]> by: Bill http://www.movingtofreedom.org/2007/09/18/at-night-the-robot-slept/#comment-3221 Wed, 19 Sep 2007 17:46:20 +0000 http://www.movingtofreedom.org/2007/09/18/at-night-the-robot-slept/#comment-3221 I'm a very late adopter most of the time -- I still don't have a cell phone! -- but the spousal unit, who is practically the Queen of Geeks, brought a Scooba home and we love the thing. It does the kitchen/laundry/downstairs bathroom, which is the only vinyl (tile eventually, I swear!) in the house, and takes about 45 minutes. I hadn't even thought about the software issue... a gadget like this would seem a perfect place for Free Software -- what good can the EULA possibly do? Why not open it right up and benefit from the skills and ingenuity of a user base that must surely include a LOT of code-happy geeks? I’m a very late adopter most of the time — I still don’t have a cell phone! — but the spousal unit, who is practically the Queen of Geeks, brought a Scooba home and we love the thing. It does the kitchen/laundry/downstairs bathroom, which is the only vinyl (tile eventually, I swear!) in the house, and takes about 45 minutes.

I hadn’t even thought about the software issue… a gadget like this would seem a perfect place for Free Software — what good can the EULA possibly do? Why not open it right up and benefit from the skills and ingenuity of a user base that must surely include a LOT of code-happy geeks?

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