Notices by nilesh (nilesh@fosstodon.org)

#Switzerland mandates #OpenSource software for all public software!

This makes perfect sense. Public software should be transparent. #India could have taken a lead on this, but our digital public infrastructure is mostly closed-source - with predictable consequences. 🙄

https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/collection/open-source-observatory-osor/news/new-open-source-law-switzerland

Remember kids, there's a pernicious reason why #Google redirects "http://maps.google.com" to "http://google.com/maps".

Because of this redirect, the location permission that you grant to Google Maps also automatically becomes available to Google Search - making your search queries more valuable to advertisers.

#privacy

I need Javascript help.

I don't understand the Javascript module variants (ES / AMD / CJS / IIFE / UMD) at all. This trips me up every single time.

Check this repo: https://github.com/learn-awesome/learndb

I'm running a modern version of NodeJS (18.7.0). But why is it that the command `node_modules/rollup/dist/bin/rollup -c` works perfectly fine but running `node rollup.config.js` (or any other file using code like "import x from Y") throws a syntax error?

How is rollup able to overcome a SYNTAX ERROR?

Here is the minimal version of my problem:

In a fresh nodejs project (created via `npm init`), I have:

`first.js` that has contents:

```
export let x = 45;`
```

And `second.js` that has:

```
import { x } from 'first.js'
console.log(x);
```

Assume that I don't have the freedom to edit `first.js`. What do I need to do to make `node second.js` run correctly?

I have tried almost everything that NodeJS suggests. How is rollup able to load and run such a file?

Except a few nerds, end users are mostly not using open-source software these days. Only businesses are. Almost all consumer products that were open-source have already lost in competition or is losing. Web browser, operating system, email, messaging, social networking.

What do you think are the reasons for this failure? Will this be repeated in business too? Or will it just take more time in consumer software than it did in business?

#software #foss

If new technologies are justified by claiming that these will create new jobs, we technologists have failed at our job. Jobs are not the goal, only the means to an end. The goal is free and fulfilled lives.

If jobs is what we want, we should be building our roads and bridges with spoons and forks.

@lightweight @aral It's futile. It requires educating the masses about such risks, and nobody has the incentives to do that at scale.

I now think that the FOSS licenses themselves are problematic. Don't "gift" things to the already powerful. FOSS gets us network effect for "usage (without restrictions)". What we need is network effect for "good usage".

@aral @smallcircles @ajroach42 @billseitz @alcinnz

Let's bring CC-BY-NC-SA-NO_AI-NO_CRYPTO.