Why is software freedom important, and we should fight for it?
TLDR:
1. Code running on your machines is compiled into a binary form that only computers can read. If you don't have access to the source code, you can't know what is running on your machine.
2. Software that's not free and open source is under full control of whoever created it, instead of you controlling it. The same way I wish to own my car, I want to own my software.
The longer version
The entire world relies on software whether we like it or not. And the biggest problem is, that this technology is usually proprietary. This means that the company behind such code has full control over it, and you have to comply with every decision the company makes. Let's look at the most notable example.
The entire video and photo design industry has relied on adobe for a really long time. When Adobe started, you paid for a license that allowed you to use the software you bought. But as the time went on, Adobe changed its licensing. Now you cannot buy a software. You can only rent it for a period of time.
I most likely don't have to explain why this is extremely immoral. (Can you imagine not being able to own a car?)
But it doesn't have to be this way.
In 1985, Richard Stallman founded the Free Software Foundation. An organization developing free (as in freedom) software and helping spread the philosophy. So what exactly is the difference? Compared to proprietary software, free software doesn't belong to a single entity. Once you download an app, you are the owner. And according to the legal license, you are allowed to:
- Edit the software's code.
- Share the modified code with others.
- Compile the code and run it on any machine. This means you can theorethically compile the latest version of an app on a CPU from the 90s
What this means is that if a company goes rogue, anyone can continue the development of the app. No more finding another software and spending months learning it. Learn a software once, and you can master it until you die.
There is a whole lot more to this topic, but there are more qualified people you should listen to than me. The point of this article was to explain the basic reason for why I refuse using proprietary software. If you want to learn more, make sure to check out these channels and websites:
- Luke Smith - Youtuber and a blogger focusing on GNU/Linux and phylosophy
- Richard Stallman - Personal website of the founder of the free software movement. No better place to start than at the source itself
- The Hated One - The first person that made me interested in this topic. Focuses on cyber-security