Quick and dirty ramblings about free software and the other, stupid and harmful type.
Important definitions you should read and be acquainted with:
Why do we use software? Or better yet, why do we use computers in general? For most people the answer to this general question would be something along the lines of “because they help me accomplish X” and without a nuanced analysis that’s a fine answer. But what happens when those computers and that software violate basic human right such as privacy and liberty? And even in practicality it actively tries to work against you or force things you don’t want or need down your throat.
Why does everyone put up with this crap? Why won’t people take a second to listen? It seems to me that the answer is a mixture of convenience, complacency and perceived social status. Everyone knows any laptop other than a Macbook is slow and you just need an iPhone because you need blue bubbles when texting, even if they run you for a thousand dollars and give Apple access to literally everything you do on their devices. I am obviously being sarcastic and that last sentence only refers to Apple, but the same principle applies to every software or ecosystem which is proprietary and tries to lock you into using their brand and nothing else.
But how does all of this happen? From a slightly more technical standpoint, is there anything we can do? Alas, yes there is.
Start using Free Software!#
It is important to understand that in this context “free” doesn’t refer to price, it refers to freedom. “Free as in free-speech, not as in free beer” is a common quote used to explain it. Free software is best described by its champion Richard Stallman and the Free Software Foundation (links provided at the bottom of this page) but in extreme brevity it refers to software whose source code is available and freely distributable, hence it can be analyzed and changed by anyone who cares to make sure it isn’t doing anything nefarious or in fact, isn’t doing anything which isn’t exactly what you want it to do.
Ideally everyone in the world should exclusively use free software. I will never stop advocating for it and though I won’t presume to be able to persuade the general public into changing their habits, I am proud to say I have changed the mind of a couple people in my personal life—including my partner—to replace the proprietary garbage they once used with free alternatives.
Further reading: