Thursday, 2014/04/17 at 7:00pm in Caldwell Labs 120, Owen King of the Department of Philosophy will present: Anti-features, Free and Open Source Software, and Ethics.
Abstract: DRM, spyware, adware, crippleware, backdoors. What do all these have in common? For starters, we usually prefer that they not be included in our software. More specifically, we can say that these are all examples of anti-features. Unfortunately, most ways people have tried to define ‘anti-feature’ have been inadequate in some way. My first task, then, is to develop a clear, careful definition of an anti-feature. Next, I turn to the question of whether free and open-source software (FOSS) is compatible with anti-features. The answer, perhaps surprisingly, is a qualified yes. My third task is to explain why anti-features exist in the first place, and why it is usually a bad thing. In fact, it is often immoral for a programmer to implement an anti-feature. Finally, I explain why FOSS can be a user’s best defense against anti-features.
As always, there will be pizza.