Tux Machines

Free Software Users Are Having All the Fun

Posted by Roy Schestowitz on Oct 11, 2023,

updated Oct 11, 2023

THE concept of Freedom (libre/livre) is not advertised in the media. Sometimes it is named but misframed. The freedom to buy things is consumerism and choice is not the same as Freedom. Choosing between "Mac" and "Windows" (or "PC") isn't about freedom but a choice between masters that spy on you and constantly coerce you through their products and disservices (like "clown computing").

Seeing what goes on in IRC this week, it seems several people are gratified that reliable updates for software are offered "free of charge" and very quickly (especially security-sensitive patches).

The software does not seek to "monetise" the users (unless it is Firefox; Mozilla is abandoning its older mission) and users occasionally make demands to developers. As long as there's no mobbing, that typically means that the BSD and GNU/Linux distros gravitate towards what users want and what makes users happy. No wonder they're having fun.

Software users need to be in control of the software; not some large vendors that collude with the state and its military. █