The “free software movement” is a social and political campaign which

Question

New Project RC Butler 2019  -  Practice 2 RC Passages Everyday   
Passage # 253, Date : 07-Aug-2019
 This post is a part of New Project RC Butler 2019 .  Click here for Details

The “free software movement” is a social and political campaign which advocates for computer software that users may run, modify, and redistribute as they please. Since the 1990s, however, a split has existed within the movement. Advocates of the original “free software” philosophy argue that proprietary software is unethical in the sense that computers can be tools of positive social change and restricting access to such tools is against the public interest. A competing philosophy, called “open source,” does not view the issue as a moral one and does not oppose cooperation with commercial developers of proprietary software. The open source philosophy regards public, collaborative authorship of code as an efficient model of software development.

The first computers ran software that was developed through open collaboration between corporate researchers and academics. However, as computers became more complex, the costs of developing software increased, and companies began to charge license fees and prohibit users from modifying the programs. In response, some users started to develop alternatives to commercial software and openly share the source code, first through online bulletin board systems and then by other means as the Internet developed. In 1997, an essay on the free software movement titled The Cathedral and the Bazaar inspired Netscape Communications Corporation to release its web browser as free software, marking the beginning of open source collaboration between commercial developers and users. Some early proponents of free software argued against the newly formed Open Source Initiative, contending that the organization’s narrow focus on releasing the source code for software ignored the greater issue of campaigning for truly free software and threatened to obscure distinctions among wholly free, partially free, and wholly proprietary software.

The problem with the original free software philosophy is that the activist approach associated with it can alienate commercial developers, and those developers can be important allies in the creation and promotion of free software. But the open source movement, by focusing on free software not as an end but as a means (of efficient software development, for instance), has lost the original movement’s emphasis on user rights not only to study and modify software but also to run and redistribute it. If these freedoms could be pursued without compromising them, and without a hostile stance toward commercial software makers, the result could be better software, with the users’ rights more fully preserved.   1  E 
 1. The author implies that which of the following occurred after Netscape Corporation released its web browser as open source software?

A. Free software advocates focused increasingly on technical questions.
B. The original free software philosophy was embraced by many commercial software developers. 
C. Open source advocates attempted to rally the free software movement behind a program of efficient software development.
D. The free software movement softened its criticism of commercial software corporations.
E. Not all free software advocates agreed that Netscape’s browser fit the goals of their movement.
 2  B 
 2. According to the author, which of the following was true of software development prior to 1997?

A. Software collaborations did not exist outside of purely academic settings.
B. Corporations had collaborated with outside programmers but increasingly released proprietary software.
C. Free and restrictive licenses were equally common among software products.
D. The most common view among free software advocates was that user freedom was more important than the efficiency of software development.
E. The most common view among free software advocates was that commercial developers should adopt some principles of open source software.
 3  E 
 3.According to the passage, one point of agreement between the original free software philosophy and the open source movement is that

A. user freedom is the primary motivation for developing free software
B. developers of proprietary software act against the public interest
C. users should boycott non-free software until it is released with less restrictive licenses
D. collaboration with any entity that wants to develop free software furthers the goals of the movement
E. there are benefits to giving users access to the source code for a piece of software

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Hello there Please edit your post according to RC Forum Rules, read the rules below https://gmatclub.com/forum/rc-forum-rul ... 55874.html Thanks and regards

gmat1393 · Answer

payalkhndlwl   SajjadAhmad

please post OE for Q2.

Thanks

RastogiSarthak99 · Answer

I took 7:20 for reading and answering the questions.

Got Q3 wrong with option A. I narrowed it down to A and E but went with A but in hindsight I understand it was too strong of an answer (extreme)

Option E makes a lot more sense because both free and open source folks will most likely agree that there are benefits to giving user freedom instead of A where it is the "primary motivation"

Dhruvnneo · Answer

please explain Q2,3.
 
i can't understand my mistakes though i understood the passage well but somehow i couldn't connect the dots properly.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Hello  gmat1393

Unfortunately i don't have OE of this passage but i can try to explain it.

Explanation

2. According to the author, which of the following was true of software development prior to 1997?

Difficulty Level:   700

Explanation

To answer question 2 paragraph 2 is enough to read.  Below is the para 2

The first computers ran software that was developed through open collaboration between corporate researchers and academics. However, as computers became more complex, the costs of developing software increased, and companies began to charge license fees and prohibit users from modifying the programs. In response, some users started to develop alternatives to commercial software and openly share the source code, first through online bulletin board systems and then by other means as the Internet developed.  In 1997, an essay on the free software movement titled The Cathedral and the Bazaar inspired Netscape Communications Corporation to release its web browser as free software, marking the beginning of open source collaboration between commercial developers and users. Some early proponents of free software argued against the newly formed Open Source Initiative, contending that the organization’s narrow focus on releasing the source code for software ignored the greater issue of campaigning for truly free software and threatened to obscure distinctions among wholly free, partially free, and wholly proprietary software.

Text in blue is what is happened prior to 1997. now look into the answer choices

(A)  The lines (The  first  computers ran software that was developed through open collaboration between  corporate researchers  and academics) in the  second para  make A incorrect. Software collaborations exist not only academics but also between corporate researchers. A is out.

(B)  The lines (the  costs  of developing software increased, and companies began to charge  license fees  and prohibit users from modifying the programs) supports B.

(C)  Free and restrictive licenses were   equally   common among software products.
No such distribution is given in the passage.

(D)   Last 2 lines  of 1st para (The open source philosophy regards public, collaborative authorship of code as an efficient model of  software development. ) make this option wrong and it is an extreme answer choice.

(E)  Irrelevant, no such principle is discussed prior to 1977.

Answer: B

Hope it helps

SunghyunLee · Answer

I coincidentally found the official answer and explanation at The Princeton Review.

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The word implies indicates that this is an inference question. The subject of this question is the event that occurred after Netscape Corporation released its web browser as open source software. The task of this question is to determine what the author believes occurred after that event. Relevant text includes an essay on the free software movement titled The Cathedral and the Bazaar inspired Netscape Communications Corporation to release its web browser as free software, marking the beginning of open source collaboration between commercial developers and users. Other relevant text includes the fact that some early proponents of free software argued against the newly formed Open Source Initiative, contending that the organization’s narrow focus on releasing the source code for software ignored the greater issue of campaigning for truly free software. Evaluate the answer choices individually, looking for the choice that reflects the information in the passage.

Choice A: No. This is a reversal. While people did focus on technical questions, it wasn’t the free software advocates. They were working against those who were focusing too much on technical questions, arguing that the narrow focus on releasing the source code for software ignored the greater issue of campaigning for truly free software.

Choice B: No. This is a reversal. Though there was a loose alliance between open source developers with commercial developers, the passage states that the problem with the original free software philosophy is that the activist approach associated with it can alienate commercial developers.

Choice C: No. This is recycled language. While the passage uses the phrase an efficient model of software development as well as numerous mentions of open source advocates, it never connects them with the idea of rallying the free software movement.

Choice D: No. This is a memory trap. While the Netscape event did result in the beginning of open source collaboration between commercial developers and users, according to the passage there is no evidence that the Netscape event reduced the bad feelings that the free software faction expressed towards commercial developers.

Choice E: Correct. Not all … agreed indicates that there was disagreement, a point explicitly made by the author when describing the fact that some early proponents of free software argued against the newly formed Open Source Initiative, contending that the organization’s narrow focus on releasing the source code for software ignored the greater issue of campaigning for truly free software.

The correct answer is choice E.

The words According to the author indicates that this is a retrieval question. The subject of this question is software development before 1997. The task of this question is to determine what the author says about software development before 1997. The passage states the first open collaboration between corporate researchers and academics, which then changed as computers became more complex, the costs of developing software increased, and companies began to charge license fees and prohibit users from modifying the programs. Following that, some users started to develop alternatives to commercial software and openly share the source code, first through online bulletin board systems. Evaluate the answer choices individually, looking for one that reflects the information in the passage.

Choice A: No. This answer uses extreme language to be tempting. Software development was initially performed by an open collaboration between corporate researchers and academics, which itself is not a purely academic environment.

Choice B: Correct. The initial method of software development was an open collaboration between corporate researchers and academics, which corresponds with the phrase corporations had collaborated with outside programmers in the answer. That changed as the costs of developing software increased, and companies began to charge license fees and prohibit users from modifying the programs, which corresponds with increasingly released proprietary software in the answer.

Choice C: No. This is a memory trap. It’s attractive because both free and restrictive licenses were discussed by the author, who noted the distinctions among wholly free, partially free, and wholly proprietary software. However, no mention of the proportion or ratio of those two types of licenses was ever provided.

Choice D: No. There is no such comparison made in the passage. While many of the free software advocates believed in both users’ rights and efficient software creation, the author never states which one the free software advocates embraced more strongly before 1997.

Choice E: No. There is no such comparison made in the passage. It’s true that the passage notes that companies began to charge license fees and prohibit users from modifying the programs. It’s also true that there was a reaction from the free software movement, whose users started to develop alternatives to commercial software and openly share the source code. However, the author never states that pressure was placed upon the commercial software companies to stop this new behavior, or that this view was even the most common one before 1997.

The correct answer is choice B.
restricting access to such tools is against the public interest, so they believe this is a benefit of giving users access to the source code for a piece of software. The passage states the open source movement, by focusing on free software not as an end but as a means (of efficient software development, for instance), so they believe the benefit is efficient software development. Thus, both sides believe there is some benefit to giving users access to source code.

The correct answer is choice E.

The words According to the passage indicate that this is a retrieval question. The subject of this question is the point of agreement between the original free software philosophy and the open source movement. The task of this question is to identify that point of agreement. The passage states that in response to commercial fees and prohibitions, some users started to develop alternatives to commercial software and openly share the source code, first through online bulletin board systems and then by other means as the Internet developed. Other relevant text includes the fact that some early proponents of free software argued against…releasing the source code for software because it ignored the greater issue of campaigning for truly free software. Evaluate the answer choices looking for one that reflects the information in the passage.

Choice A: No. This is a memory trap. While user freedom is mentioned repeatedly throughout the passage (and particularly in the second paragraph), the third paragraph states that one big criticism of the open source movement is that it lost the original movement’s emphasis on user rights.

Choice B: No. This is recycled language. While the words public interest are used in the first paragraph, the passage states that only Advocates of the original “free software” philosophy believed that restricting access to such tools is against the public interest. The open source movement does not oppose cooperation with commercial developers of proprietary software.

Choice C: No. This choice uses extreme language. While the author mentions the possibility of a hostile stance toward commercial software makers, there is no mention of physical actions such as a boycott. Furthermore, if there were, it would likely be only on the part of the free software advocates, since the open source movement does not oppose cooperation with commercial developers of proprietary software.

Choice D: No. This is a memory trap. This answer is attractive because collaborative and collaboration are mentioned in the first and second paragraphs, respectively—along with synonyms such as share and cooperation. However, this only describes the open source half of the movement. Advocates of the original “free software” philosophy argue that proprietary software is unethical, and their activist approach associated with it can alienate commercial developers, so they would be opposed to collaborating with commercial software manufacturers.

Choice E: Correct. The passage states Advocates of the original “free software” philosophy argue that … computers can be tools of positive social change and restricting access to such tools is against the public interest, so they believe this is a benefit of giving users access to the source code for a piece of software. The passage states the open source movement, by focusing on free software not as an end but as a means (of efficient software development, for instance), so they believe the benefit is efficient software development. Thus, both sides believe there is some benefit to giving users access to source code.

The correct answer is choice E.

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And there is one more question in the official question.

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The words can be inferred indicate that this is an inference question. The subject of this question is the belief of those who favor the original free software philosophy. The task of this question is to determine what those people would deny. The passage states that advocates of the original “free software” philosophy argue that proprietary software is unethical in the sense that computers can be tools of positive social change and restricting access to such tools is against the public interest. The passage also states the fact that the competing open-source philosophy does not view the issue as a moral one and does not oppose cooperation with commercial developers of proprietary software. Evaluate the answer choices individually, looking for one that reflects the information in the passage.

Choice A: No. This answer choice uses extreme language to be tempting. While the author does note that moral issues are at play, the passage states that the problem with the original free software philosophy is that the activist approach associated with it can alienate commercial developers. Note the word can alienate, whereas the answer uses the words has interfered. The text is less certain than the answer choice.

Choice B: No. This is an example of extreme language. While the author does note that early proponents of free software argued against the newly formed Open Source Initiative, and that there is a hostile stance towards commercial software manufacturers, the passage never notes that anything has been expressly prohibited.

Choice C: Correct. The passage notes that the original free software philosophy can alienate commercial developers, and those developers can be important allies in the creation and promotion of free software. Implied in this statement is that the commercial software industry has evolved into a more sophisticated arrangement in which both free and proprietary software are intermingled.

Choice D: No. This answer choice relies on outside knowledge to be tempting. While words like commercial and free are potentially related to profit margins, the text never points to corporate profitability as a danger to the public interest.

Choice E: No. This is recycled language. While the passage does mention online bulletin boards, it does so in a very different context, noting some users started to develop alternatives to commercial software and openly share the source code, first through online bulletin board systems. However, there is no evidence that the author believes that this is the best way to develop software.

The correct answer is choice C.

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The “free software movement” is a social and political campaign which

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The “free software movement” is a social and political campaign which

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