# LANGUAGE translation of https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/who-does-that-server-really-serve.html # Copyright (C) YEAR Free Software Foundation, Inc. # This file is distributed under the same license as the original article. # FIRST AUTHOR , YEAR. # #, fuzzy msgid "" msgstr "" "Project-Id-Version: who-does-that-server-really-serve.html\n" "POT-Creation-Date: 2022-01-01 17:25+0000\n" "PO-Revision-Date: YEAR-MO-DA HO:MI+ZONE\n" "Last-Translator: FULL NAME \n" "Language-Team: LANGUAGE \n" "Language: \n" "MIME-Version: 1.0\n" "Content-Type: text/plain; charset=CHARSET\n" "Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit\n" #. type: Content of: msgid "Who Does That Server Really Serve? - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><h2> msgid "Who does that server really serve?" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><address> msgid "by Richard Stallman" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><div><p> msgid "" "<em>On the Internet, proprietary software isn't the only way to lose your " "computing freedom. Service as a Software Substitute, or SaaSS, is another " "way to give someone else power over your computing.</em>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "The basic point is, you can have control over a program someone else wrote " "(if it's free), but you can never have control over a service someone else " "runs, so never use a service where in principle running a program would do." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "SaaSS means using a service implemented by someone else as a substitute for " "running your copy of a program. The term is ours; articles and ads won't " "use it, and they won't tell you whether a service is SaaSS. Instead they " "will probably use the vague and distracting term “cloud,” which " "lumps SaaSS together with various other practices, some abusive and some " "ok. With the explanation and examples in this page, you can tell whether a " "service is SaaSS." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><h3> msgid "Background: How Proprietary Software Takes Away Your Freedom" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "Digital technology can give you freedom; it can also take your freedom " "away. The first threat to our control over our computing came from " "<em>proprietary software</em>: software that the users cannot control " "because the owner (a company such as Apple or Microsoft) controls it. The " "owner often takes advantage of this unjust power by inserting malicious " "features such as spyware, back doors, and <a " "href=\"https://www.defectivebydesign.org\">Digital Restrictions Management " "(DRM)</a> (referred to as “Digital Rights Management” in their " "propaganda)." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "Our solution to this problem is developing <em>free software</em> and " "rejecting proprietary software. Free software means that you, as a user, " "have four essential freedoms: (0) to run the program as you wish, " "(1) to study and change the source code so it does what you wish, " "(2) to redistribute exact copies, and (3) to redistribute copies " "of your modified versions. (See the <a " "href=\"/philosophy/free-sw.html\">free software definition</a>.)" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "With free software, we, the users, take back control of our computing. " "Proprietary software still exists, but we can exclude it from our lives and " "many of us have done so. However, we are now offered another tempting way " "to cede control over our computing: Service as a Software Substitute " "(SaaSS). For our freedom's sake, we have to reject that too." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><h3> msgid "How Service as a Software Substitute Takes Away Your Freedom" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "Service as a Software Substitute (SaaSS) means using a service as a " "substitute for running your copy of a program. Concretely, it means that " "someone sets up a network server that does certain computing " "activities—for instance, modifying a photo, translating text into " "another language, etc.—then invites users to let that server do " "<em>their own computing</em> for them. As a user of the server, you would " "send your data to the server, which does that computing activity on the data " "thus provided, then sends the results back to you or else acts directly on " "your behalf." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "What does it mean to say that a given computing activity is <em>your " "own</em>? It means that no one else is inherently involved in it. To " "clarify the meaning of “inherently involved,” we present a " "thought experiment. Suppose that any free software you might need for the " "job is available to you, and whatever data you might need, as well as " "computers of whatever speed, functionality and capacity might be required. " "Could you do this particular computing activity entirely within those " "computers, not communicating with anyone else's computers?" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "If you could, then the activity is <em>entirely your own</em>. For your " "freedom's sake, you deserve to control it. If you do it by running free " "software, you do control it. However, doing it via someone else's service " "would give that someone else control over your computing activity. We call " "that scenario SaaSS, and we say it is unjust." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "By contrast, if for fundamental reasons you couldn't possibly do that " "activity in your own computers, then the activity isn't entirely your own, " "so the issue of SaaSS is not applicable to that activity. In general, these " "activities involve communication with others." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "SaaSS servers wrest control from the users even more inexorably than " "proprietary software. With proprietary software, users typically get an " "executable file but not the source code. That makes it hard to study the " "code that is running, so it's hard to determine what the program really " "does, and hard to change it." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "With SaaSS, the users do not have even the executable file that does their " "computing: it is on someone else's server, where the users can't see or " "touch it. Thus it is impossible for them to ascertain what it really does, " "and impossible to change it." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "Furthermore, SaaSS automatically leads to consequences equivalent to the " "malicious features of certain proprietary software." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "For instance, some proprietary programs are “spyware”: the " "program <a href=\"/philosophy/proprietary-surveillance.html\"> sends out " "data about users' computing activities</a>. Microsoft Windows sends " "information about users' activities to Microsoft. Windows Media Player " "reports what each user watches or listens to. The Amazon Kindle reports " "which pages of which books the user looks at, and when. Angry Birds reports " "the user's geolocation history." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "Unlike proprietary software, SaaSS does not require covert code to obtain " "the user's data. Instead, users must send their data to the server in order " "to use it. This has the same effect as spyware: the server operator gets " "the data—with no special effort, by the nature of SaaSS. Amy Webb, " "who intended never to post any photos of her daughter, made the mistake of " "using SaaSS (Instagram) to edit photos of her. Eventually <a " "href=\"https://slate.com/technology/2013/09/privacy-facebook-kids-dont-post-photos-of-your-kids-on-social-media.html\"> " "they leaked from there</a>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "Theoretically, homomorphic encryption might some day advance to the point " "where future SaaSS services might be constructed to be unable to understand " "some of the data that users send them. Such services <em>could</em> be set " "up not to snoop on users; this does not mean they <em>will</em> do no " "snooping. Also, snooping is only one among the secondary injustices of " "SaaSS." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "Some proprietary operating systems have a universal back door, permitting " "someone to remotely install software changes. For instance, Windows has a " "universal back door with which Microsoft can forcibly change any software on " "the machine. Nearly all portable phones have them, too. Some proprietary " "applications also have universal back doors; for instance, the Steam client " "for GNU/Linux allows the developer to remotely install modified versions." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "With SaaSS, the server operator can change the software in use on the " "server. He ought to be able to do this, since it's his computer; but the " "result is the same as using a proprietary application program with a " "universal back door: someone has the power to silently impose changes in how " "the user's computing gets done." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "Thus, SaaSS is equivalent to running proprietary software with spyware and a " "universal back door. It gives the server operator unjust power over the " "user, and that power is something we must resist." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><h3> msgid "SaaSS and SaaS" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "Originally we referred to this problematical practice as “SaaS,” " "which stands for “Software as a Service.” It's a commonly used " "term for setting up software on a server rather than offering copies of it " "to users, and we thought it described precisely the cases where this problem " "occurs." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "Subsequently we became aware that the term SaaS is sometimes used for " "communication services—activities for which this issue is not " "applicable. In addition, the term “Software as a Service” " "doesn't explain <em>why</em> the practice is bad. So we coined the term " "“Service as a Software Substitute,” which defines the bad " "practice more clearly and says what is bad about it." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><h3> msgid "Untangling the SaaSS Issue from the Proprietary Software Issue" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "SaaSS and proprietary software lead to similar harmful results, but the " "mechanisms are different. With proprietary software, the mechanism is that " "you have and use a copy which is difficult and/or illegal to change. With " "SaaSS, the mechanism is that you don't have the copy that's doing your " "computing." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "These two issues are often confused, and not only by accident. Web " "developers use the vague term “web application” to lump the " "server software together with programs run on your machine in your browser. " "Some web pages install nontrivial, even large JavaScript programs into your " "browser without informing you. <a " "href=\"/philosophy/javascript-trap.html\">When these JavaScript programs are " "nonfree</a>, they cause the same sort of injustice as any other nonfree " "software. Here, however, we are concerned with the issue of using the " "service itself." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "Many free software supporters assume that the problem of SaaSS will be " "solved by developing free software for servers. For the server operator's " "sake, the programs on the server had better be free; if they are " "proprietary, their developers/owners have power over the server. That's " "unfair to the server operator, and doesn't help the server's users at all. " "But if the programs on the server are free, that doesn't protect <em>the " "server's users</em> from the effects of SaaSS. These programs liberate the " "server operator, but not the server's users." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "Releasing the server software source code does benefit the community: it " "enables suitably skilled users to set up similar servers, perhaps changing " "the software. <a href=\"/licenses/license-recommendations.html\"> We " "recommend using the GNU Affero GPL</a> as the license for programs often " "used on servers." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "But none of these servers would give you control over computing you do on " "it, unless it's <em>your</em> server (one whose software load you control, " "regardless of whether the machine is your property). It may be OK to trust " "your friend's server for some jobs, just as you might let your friend " "maintain the software on your own computer. Outside of that, all these " "servers would be SaaSS for you. SaaSS always subjects you to the power of " "the server operator, and the only remedy is, <em>Don't use SaaSS!</em> Don't " "use someone else's server to do your own computing on data provided by you." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "This issue demonstrates the depth of the difference between " "“open” and “free.” Source code that is open source " "<a href=\"/philosophy/free-open-overlap.html\">is, nearly always, free</a>. " "However, the idea of an <a " "href=\"https://opendefinition.org/ossd/\">“open software” " "service</a>, meaning one whose server software is open source and/or free, " "fails to address the issue of SaaSS." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "Services are fundamentally different from programs, and the ethical issues " "that services raise are fundamentally different from the issues that " "programs raise. To avoid confusion, we <a " "href=\"/philosophy/network-services-arent-free-or-nonfree.html\"> avoid " "describing a service as “free” or “proprietary.”</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><h3> msgid "Distinguishing SaaSS from Other Network Services" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "Which online services are SaaSS? The clearest example is a translation " "service, which translates (say) English text into Spanish text. Translating " "a text for you is computing that is purely yours. You could do it by " "running a program on your own computer, if only you had the right program. " "(To be ethical, that program should be free.) The translation service " "substitutes for that program, so it is Service as a Software Substitute, or " "SaaSS. Since it denies you control over your computing, it does you wrong." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "Another clear example is using a service such as Flickr or Instagram to " "modify a photo. Modifying photos is an activity that people have done in " "their own computers for decades; doing it in a server you don't control, " "rather than your own computer, is SaaSS." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "Rejecting SaaSS does not mean refusing to use any network servers run by " "anyone other than you. Most servers are not SaaSS because the jobs they do " "are some sort of communication, rather than the user's own computing." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "The original idea of web servers wasn't to do computing for you, it was to " "publish information for you to access. Even today this is what most web " "sites do, and it doesn't pose the SaaSS problem, because accessing someone's " "published information isn't doing your own computing. Neither is use of a " "blog site to publish your own works, or using a microblogging service such " "as Twitter or StatusNet. (These services may or may not have other " "problems, depending on details.) The same goes for other communication not " "meant to be private, such as chat groups." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "In its essence, social networking is a form of communication and " "publication, not SaaSS. However, a service whose main facility is social " "networking can have features or extensions which are SaaSS." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "If a service is not SaaSS, that does not mean it is OK. There are other " "ethical issues about services. For instance, Facebook requires running " "nonfree JavaScript code, and it gives users a misleading impression of " "privacy while luring them into baring their lives to Facebook. Those are " "important issues, different from the SaaSS issue." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "Services such as search engines collect data from around the web and let you " "examine it. Looking through their collection of data isn't your own " "computing in the usual sense—you didn't provide that " "collection—so using such a service to search the web is not SaaSS. " "However, using someone else's server to implement a search facility for your " "own site <em>is</em> SaaSS." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "Purchasing online is not SaaSS, because the computing isn't <em>your " "own</em> activity; rather, it is done jointly by and for you and the store. " "The real issue in online shopping is whether you trust the other party with " "your money and other personal information (starting with your name)." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "Repository sites such as Savannah and SourceForge are not inherently SaaSS, " "because a repository's job is publication of data supplied to it." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "Using a joint project's servers isn't SaaSS because the computing you do in " "this way isn't your own. For instance, if you edit pages on Wikipedia, you " "are not doing your own computing; rather, you are collaborating in " "Wikipedia's computing. Wikipedia controls its own servers, but " "organizations as well as individuals encounter the problem of SaaSS if they " "do their computing in someone else's server." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "Some sites offer multiple services, and if one is not SaaSS, another may be " "SaaSS. For instance, the main service of Facebook is social networking, and " "that is not SaaSS; however, it supports third-party applications, some of " "which are SaaSS. Flickr's main service is distributing photos, which is not " "SaaSS, but it also has features for editing photos, which is SaaSS. " "Likewise, using Instagram to post a photo is not SaaSS, but using it to " "transform the photo is SaaSS." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "Google Docs shows how complex the evaluation of a single service can " "become. It invites people to edit a document by running a large <a " "href=\"/philosophy/javascript-trap.html\">nonfree JavaScript program</a>, " "clearly wrong. However, it offers an API for uploading and downloading " "documents in standard formats. A free software editor can do so through " "this API. This usage scenario is not SaaSS, because it uses Google Docs as " "a mere repository. Showing all your data to a company is bad, but that is a " "matter of privacy, not SaaSS; depending on a service for access to your data " "is bad, but that is a matter of risk, not SaaSS. On the other hand, using " "the service for converting document formats <em>is</em> SaaSS, because it's " "something you could have done by running a suitable program (free, one " "hopes) in your own computer." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "Using Google Docs through a free editor is rare, of course. Most often, " "people use it through the nonfree JavaScript program, which is bad like any " "nonfree program. This scenario might involve SaaSS, too; that depends on " "what part of the editing is done in the JavaScript program and what part in " "the server. We don't know, but since SaaSS and proprietary software do " "similar wrong to the user, it is not crucial to know." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "Publishing via someone else's repository does not raise privacy issues, but " "publishing through Google Docs has a special problem: it is impossible even " "to <em>view the text</em> of a Google Docs document in a browser without " "running the nonfree JavaScript code. Thus, you should not use Google Docs " "to publish anything—but the reason is not a matter of SaaSS." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "The IT industry discourages users from making these distinctions. That's " "what the buzzword “cloud computing” is for. This term is so " "nebulous that it could refer to almost any use of the Internet. It includes " "SaaSS as well as many other network usage practices. In any given context, " "an author who writes “cloud” (if a technical person) probably " "has a specific meaning in mind, but usually does not explain that in other " "articles the term has other specific meanings. The term leads people to " "generalize about practices they ought to consider individually." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "If “cloud computing” has a meaning, it is not a way of doing " "computing, but rather a way of thinking about computing: a devil-may-care " "approach which says, “Don't ask questions. Don't worry about who " "controls your computing or who holds your data. Don't check for a hook " "hidden inside our service before you swallow it. Trust companies without " "hesitation.” In other words, “Be a sucker.” A cloud in the " "mind is an obstacle to clear thinking. For the sake of clear thinking about " "computing, let's avoid the term “cloud.”" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><h3> msgid "Renting a Server Distinguished from SaaSS" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "If you rent a server (real or virtual), whose software load you have control " "over, that's not SaaSS. In SaaSS, someone else decides what software runs " "on the server and therefore controls the computing it does for you. In the " "case where you install the software on the server, you control what " "computing it does for you. Thus, the rented server is virtually your " "computer. For this issue, it counts as yours." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "The <em>data</em> on the rented remote server is less secure than if you had " "the server at home, but that is a separate issue from SaaSS." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "This kind of server rental is sometimes called “IaaS,” but that " "term fits into a conceptual structure that downplays the issues that we " "consider important." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><h3> msgid "Dealing with the SaaSS Problem" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "Only a small fraction of all web sites do SaaSS; most don't raise the " "issue. But what should we do about the ones that raise it?" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "For the simple case, where you are doing your own computing on data in your " "own hands, the solution is simple: use your own copy of a free software " "application. Do your text editing with your copy of a free text editor such " "as GNU Emacs or a free word processor. Do your photo editing with your copy " "of free software such as GIMP. What if there is no free program available? " "A proprietary program or SaaSS would take away your freedom, so you " "shouldn't use those. You can contribute your time or your money to " "development of a free replacement." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "What about collaborating with other individuals as a group? It may be hard " "to do this at present without using a server, and your group may not know " "how to run its own server. If you use someone else's server, at least don't " "trust a server run by a company. A mere contract as a customer is no " "protection unless you could detect a breach and could really sue, and the " "company probably writes its contracts to permit a broad range of abuses. " "The state can subpoena your data from the company along with everyone " "else's, as Obama has done to phone companies, supposing the company doesn't " "volunteer them like the US phone companies that illegally wiretapped their " "customers for Bush. If you must use a server, use a server whose operators " "give you a basis for trust beyond a mere commercial relationship." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "However, on a longer time scale, we can create alternatives to using " "servers. For instance, we can create a peer-to-peer program through which " "collaborators can share data encrypted. The free software community should " "develop distributed peer-to-peer replacements for important “web " "applications.” It may be wise to release them under the <a " "href=\"/licenses/why-affero-gpl.html\"> GNU Affero GPL</a>, since they are " "likely candidates for being converted into server-based programs by someone " "else. The <a href=\"/\">GNU project</a> is looking for volunteers to work " "on such replacements. We also invite other free software projects to " "consider this issue in their design." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "In the meantime, if a company invites you to use its server to do your own " "computing tasks, don't yield; don't use SaaSS. Don't buy or install " "“thin clients,” which are simply computers so weak they make you " "do the real work on a server, unless you're going to use them with " "<em>your</em> server. Use a real computer and keep your data there. Do " "your own computing with your own copy of a free program, for your freedom's " "sake." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><div><p> msgid "" "See also: <a href=\"/philosophy/bug-nobody-allowed-to-understand.html\">The " "Bug Nobody is Allowed to Understand</a>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><div><p> msgid "" "The first version of this article was published in the <cite><a " "href=\"https://bostonreview.net/articles/richard-stallman-free-software-drm/\"> " "Boston Review</a></cite>." msgstr "" #. TRANSLATORS: Use space (SPC) as msgstr if you don't have notes. #. type: Content of: <div> msgid "*GNUN-SLOT: TRANSLATOR'S NOTES*" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><div><p> msgid "" "Please send general FSF & GNU inquiries to <a " "href=\"mailto:gnu@gnu.org\"><gnu@gnu.org></a>. There are also <a " "href=\"/contact/\">other ways to contact</a> the FSF. Broken links and " "other corrections or suggestions can be sent to <a " "href=\"mailto:webmasters@gnu.org\"><webmasters@gnu.org></a>." msgstr "" #. TRANSLATORS: Ignore the original text in this paragraph, #. replace it with the translation of these two: # #. We work hard and do our best to provide accurate, good quality #. translations. However, we are not exempt from imperfection. #. Please send your comments and general suggestions in this regard #. to <a href="mailto:web-translators@gnu.org"> # #. <web-translators@gnu.org></a>.</p> # #. <p>For information on coordinating and contributing translations of #. our web pages, see <a #. href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations #. README</a>. #. type: Content of: <div><div><p> msgid "" "Please see the <a " "href=\"/server/standards/README.translations.html\">Translations README</a> " "for information on coordinating and contributing translations of this " "article." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "Copyright © 2010, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022 Richard " "Stallman" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "This page is licensed under a <a rel=\"license\" " "href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons " "Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>." msgstr "" #. TRANSLATORS: Use space (SPC) as msgstr if you don't want credits. #. type: Content of: <div><div> msgid "*GNUN-SLOT: TRANSLATOR'S CREDITS*" msgstr "" #. timestamp start #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "Updated:" msgstr ""