Will FreeBSD be available in California in 2027?

hedwards said:
They could potentially convict/fine them, but there'd be no actually consequences for the developers as long as they stay out of areas with extradition or enforcement agreements in place. Inside the US, it can potentially get kind of complicated, but the same sort of thing should apply that CA can't compel them to follow their state law.
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Do you think it is good to take such "small" risk with unknown future development... And for what - to write some free software?
 
6502 said:
If software is web browser, it will need age info and will ask the OS for that info. If the software is local Chess game or desktop calculator or word processor - it does not have age limitation and does not need this info. (This is how I understand the law.)
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I guess you didn't read this bit of the California law:

(b) (1) A developer shall request a signal with respect to a particular user from an operating system provider or a covered application store when the application is downloaded and launched.

Installing a package from an online repository (downloading) and then using it (launching) will require the package to request a signal for age assurance and again when the application contained within it is run.
 
I think operating system and package developers should build in self destruct mechanisms that are executed automatically on or after enforcement date when IP geolocation detects it being used in the offending territory. This will require another clause to the license that the system owner agrees to the self destruct in order to protect THEM from using non-compliant software.
 
6502 said:
Do you think it is good to take such "small" risk with unknown future development... And for what - to write some free software?
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Like I said, IANAL, but it is worth keeping in mind that it's unlikely that this will actually be constitutional in the US. And it's questionable as to whether they could extend it to developers that are writing code on other sections of the OS. But, these things can be extremely murky whenever you're talking about tech just because of how novel it can be legally.

Personally, I don't know any languages that would allow me to be directly impacted by it, but if I weren't in an area that's covered by one of these laws, I'd definitely keep contributing. If I were, that's where it gets pretty complicated as I don't expect that these laws in the US will be allowed to stand on the basis that the 1st amendment does apply to source code, I can't say the same for other countries that may not have the same protection of speech.

Most likely what's going to happen is that there will be geoblocking and possibly click throughs certifying that you're not in one of those regions, but this is a new area of laws that are popping up, so who knows what any court system is going to rule on it.
 
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vmb said:
I guess the FreeBSD foundation has 13 days left to decide what it will do in Brazil. Deleting all Brazillian mirrors and geo-blocking Brazil may be the only practical method of achieving compliance before the enforcement date.
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I saw that earlier, but didn't have a chance to get a source for it. This is in some ways a much bigger deal than in the US where the laws are likely to get tossed. I'm pretty ignorant about how exactly the legal system down there works as it's presumably an evolution over the system that Portugal uses which is a different tradition entirely.

The particularly big deal is that developing nations like Brazil are in a position where they can develop their software ecosystem in a way that uses FOSS options, or not. And a requirement like this is pretty easy for a commercial OS to implement, compared with opensource projects where complying may well violate the license.
 
It is worth noting that the same mechanism which prevents misuse of minority owned business tags by racists will also prevent the misuse of this mandate by pedophiles in search of verified children.
 
vmb said:
This stupid law that is just the first step in further reaching surveillance, should be resisted. The first move should be to legally exclude downloading and use in California. I think it will even be necessary to remove all distribution methods (official mirrors) from California and have a contractual agreement on every download page.

I have read the actual law https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB1043/id/3269704 and my understanding is that it will require modifications to the package repo (and all mirrors) to prevent age restricted software from being downloaded or installed by a minor, and that to achieve that, EVERY package in the repo will have to be assessed and given an age rating. This means existing packages and every time a package is updated on the repo.

This is an enormous amount of work and could even include downloading from Git repos and other software source code repositories.

It is far simpler to change the licenses to have clauses that:
1. Prohibit the use of the software in California and other territories implementing the same or similar laws.
2. Prohibit the distribution of the software to anyone in California and other territories implementing the same or similar laws.
3. Prohibit the use of the software by all branches of the State of California Government.
4. Impose a contractual agreement for financial compensation paid to the software authors, publishers and distributors that is jointly and severally bound to all offenders that do not comply with the above clauses.

Yes, this is going to seriously affect the income of those doing business in California, but there is no other way.
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If you think about it carefully:

California's government is basically stuck using Windows, at least for official functioning. And Windows already has Windows Store. Android and iPhone have something similar. The restrictions apply to OSes and devices used in official, public capacity.

There are a few teenagers who use BSDs. But even so, are there any packages in existence that are actually inappropriate for teenagers? Headless browsers? Netcat? Bash? While it's true that sometimes, people are able to put together a DDOS tool from Open Source components, and deploy it without realizing what the consequences might be without proper safeguards (vm-based network), adult script kiddies can be just as bad, sometimes worse than minors.

BSDs are not cars. Operating a car requires some maturity and a license, esp. in a commercial/official capacity. That's why you gotta have a special license to operate a truck, as opposed to a personal car.
 
I have not heard of this nonsense until this thread. Honestly, it sounds to me like Millionaires forcing their hand to help make more advertising dollars from computing (since age falls into demographics). What is the real concern here - TikTok? I love how America always uses some tragedy to push their way into American lives (justified communism within a democracy). You know what i am talking about: Let's use the tragic death of this little girl to force all citizens to be microchipped = because the microchip will keep us all safe and sound (sychophantic applause). I am happy that i am no longer a part of that despicable nation. I would not comply. My OS is not a drug, alcohol or tobacco. Gov has too much free time and they really need to get a job. Honestly, think about it: how does the American society (and many other societies) get swindled into paying obscene salaries of government officials using tax dollars? how much do you make per year? you really think that your President should make that much money per year? TAX funded money. And they mostly walk around with their hands in their pockets doing nothing all day. I would say calculate age 18 from the current date and enter that info with a username F*** off!

Linux and FreeBSD should not comply.

"As of next year, any operating system will need to not only collect age data at setup, but also transmit that data to developers of any apps running on the OS via a real-time API."
 
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