Re: server and client in one package -> security issue

[Maxim Cournoyer <maxim.cournoyer@gmail.com>]

Apologies for digging up a 2 months old message, but I felt compelled to :)

Hartmut Goebel <h.goebel@crazy-compilers.com> writes:

> Am 14.02.2017 um 10:16 schrieb Danny Milosavljevic:
>> I don't think Guix should do that, though. 
>
> I think guix should provide the tools for doing so. Guix has the big
> advantage of providing trustworthy packages, but kicks itself out of the
> race if hardening is so much complicated.
>
>> IMO locking down everything for users is basically the antithesis of the FSF.
>
> The "user" is the company, the employees work on behalf of the company.
> So the software freedom has to be available toe the company not to the
> individual employee.
>

From what I've read and understand, freedom is for any and all
individuals running the software. The employees of your company also
deserve freedom. Freedom doesn't necessarily goes against good
security. I believe Guix and Hurd are steps in the right direction in
achieving freedom of users in a shared/corporate environment.

> As a company I'm expecting the user to *not* install software on their
> computers (not talking about developers here). Otherwise its like
> allowing workers to bring their own hammer to the building site or their
> own machines into the factory building. If the hammer is inappropriate
> and is deforming all nails, or the machine is producing scrap, the
> company the the one bear the consequences.

I believe one of GNU's goal is to bridge (remove the gap between)
developers and users. The system should empower the users to
experiment/study/learn/share the software if they want to and removing
barriers to the tools.

My 2 cents,

Maxim