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#software-freedom

prplcdclnw@diasp.eu
David

Ada & Zangemann - A Tale of Software, Skateboards, and Raspberry Ice Cream

from FSFE

https://fsfe.org/activities/ada-zangemann/index.en.html

The famous inventor Zangemann lives in a huge villa high above the city. Adults and children alike love his inventions and are desperate to have them. But then something happens: when Zangemann wants to take another close-up look at his inventions during a walk through the city, a child hits him in the shin with the skateboard. That hurts! Enraged, the inventor makes a momentous decision... The clever girl Ada sees through what is going on. Together with her friends, she forges a plan.\
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This illustrated book tells the story of the famous inventor Zangemann and the girl Ada, a curious tinkerer. Ada begins to experiment with hardware and software, and in the process realises how crucial it is for her and others to control technology.\
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A book that arouses children's interest in tinkering and encourages shaping technology. From age 6 to 106.

Born before 1918? This book is not for you. :)

There is a video. Here are links to some copies. Not all of these worked for me. It's 31:32 long.

https://media.fsfe.org/w/j1c6LQVZ8qnCLLwpXMuw3M
https://archive.org/details/ada-zangemann-a-tale-of-software-skateboards-and-raspberry-ice-cream
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ada_%26_Zangemann_-_A_Tale_of_Software,_Skateboards,_and_Raspberry_Ice_Cream.webm
https://youtu.be/ac3ZZ7WUuZM

#free-software-foundation-europe #fsfe #freedom #liberty #drm #freedom-to-tinker #open-hardware #free-software #ada-and-zangemann #software #skateboards #ice-cream #right-to-repair #software-freedom #hardware-freedom #maker #makers #software-hacking #hardware-hacking #maker-spaces #makerspaces

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prplcdclnw@diasp.eu
David

When did Apple start to become evil?

Earlier than I thought.

Thanks to Cory for cluing me in.

https://archive.org/details/AppleSSAFEProject

From "Vadermeer":\
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Yesterday at the Seattle Goodwill Outlet, where everything is sold by the pound, I noticed the Apple logo on letterhead sticking out from a bin of books, so I started digging. What I found were the 1979-1980 files of Jack MacDonald, manager of system software for the Apple II and /// at the time. They tell the story of project "SSAFE" or "Software Security from Apples Friends and Enemies." This was a proposal to bring disk copy protection in-house to sell as a service to outside developers. Inter-office memos, meeting notes and progress reports all give a good idea of what a project lifecycle was like. Different schemes and levels of protection are considered, as well as implementation primarily on the Apple II+ and the upcoming SARA (The Apple ///) and Lisa computers. Randy Wigginton is featured prominently throughout, along with mentions of Woz and many other familiar names.\
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The documents were all a jumble so I've put them in chronological order and scanned the collection, please enjoy.

Here's a direct link to the PDF. https://archive.org/download/AppleSSAFEProject/Apple%20SSAFE%20Project.pdf

Randy Wigginton was a name I was not familiar with.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Wigginton

This article doesn't mention Wigginton's role in pushing DRM. That's what the PDF is all about. My Apple //e was the freest, most open computer I have ever owned, but while I was enjoying that, the powerful at Apple were already scheming to take all that away.

The Wigginton article connected to Michael Scott. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Scott_(Apple)

On February 25, 1981, the day known as "Black Wednesday" at the company, Scott personally fired forty Apple employees, including half of the Apple II team, in a belief that they were redundant. Later in the afternoon he assembled the remaining employees with a keg of beer and explained the firings by stating, "I used to say that when being CEO at Apple wasn't fun anymore, I'd quit. But now I've changed my mind — when it isn't fun any more, I'll fire people until it's fun again."\
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Following this abrupt event, he was moved to vice chairman, a title with little power, and Mike Markkula, the man who had hired Scott, replaced him.\
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Scott left Apple officially on July 10, 1981, stating in his resignation letter:

So I am having a new learning experience, something I've never done before. I quit, not resign to join a new company or retire for personal reasons ... This is not done for those who fear my opinions and style, but for the loyal ones who may be given false hope.\
Yours. Michael, Private Citizen

See also https://appleinsider.com/articles/17/02/23/documents-unearthed-from-early-apple-history-show-shift-in-company-focus-from-hobbyist-to-businesses

A series of documents discovered at a thrift store in Seattle examines Apple's mindset in the late '70s and early '80s as it shifted from a hobbyist company to one interested in gathering, and retaining business clients for its Apple II series of computers.

#drm #defective-by-design #freedom #computer #computers #copy-protection #free-software #software-freedom

Apple SSAFE Project : Various Apple Employees : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

From Vadermeer:Yesterday at the Seattle Goodwill Outlet, where everything is sold by the pound, I noticed the Apple logo on letterhead sticking out from a...

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