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Comment by superuser2 | Hacker News Reader

A truly philosophically pure laptop would, among other things, guarantee absolutely no involvement of slave labor/abusive practices in its supply chain. Everyone from the mines to the assembly plant to the retail store would have secure, middle-class employment. Revenue would not fund political corruption or violence related to labor, natural resources, or environmental impact.

But it would not contain binary blobs either, so this is a positive step. The branding is a little grandiose for the extent of its "philosophical purity," though.

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Depends what philosophy you're talking about.

There actually is at least one software license (the HESSLA) which has restrictions on use and redistribution regarding human rights: http://www.hacktivismo.com/about/hessla.php

It is considered non-free by the standards of the FSF, Debian and the OSI alike. As such, ironically enough it's your proposal that ends up being "philosophically impure".

That may be your philosophy. I care more about open computer systems than making everyone middle class (which doesn't even make sense; by the well-ordering principle, there will always be a lower class). I think that open computers are more important for the long-term improvement of the human race than the pursuit of presently unrealizable economic goals.

> I care more about open computer systems than making everyone middle class

The parent speaks about slave labour or something very close to it not about living in the suburbs.

> there will always be a lower class

That is your opinion and it may be true. Even so, the "lower class" could live without the worry of basic necessities. A lot of people do not currently have that luxury.

> That is your opinion

Well, it's not really an opinion though. Unless everybody had a perfectly equal standard of living (which sounds vaguely Harrison Bergeron-esque) there will always be a lower class, even if they have a rather high standard of living.

Other than that, I agree with everything you say in your comment.

Ranking depends on the variable of comparison. There can be more than one.

I was certain this post was going to be about a "pure" supply chain. Conflict Free Laptops would be an amazing offering.

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