I just want some freedom
Ex Linux User & Developer editor, Simon Brew, ponders just what kind of definition of free is preferable where software is concerned…
Installing a piece of software recently, the set-up process invited me to become part of some customer improvement programme or other. I’ve no urge to do unpaid work on behalf of big software companies, so I looked to politely decline the offer. Yet in that marvellous way that dialog boxes tend to do, it actually gave me two choices: I could either help, or I could join the programme later. Friends, I looked at every corner of the screen, and the option to say ‘get stuffed’ was nowhere to be found.
This, for me, all ties in to definitions of free. Free software that doesn’t damage my pocket in any way, shape or form is a splendid invention, particularly in the climate that we now find ourselves in. However, there’s also a freedom from the cumbersome tat that more and more frequently is being tacked on to software. I’m thus free from having to type in a 32-digit code simply for wanting to use the software that I’ve legally bought. I’m free from having to connect to a server on the other side of the planet, and being at its whims as to whether I’m allowed to use my purchase or not. I’m free from pop-up windows, nagware, from software that prevents me using it because I didn’t give its publisher my name and address on a registration form.
These, for me, are the frees that money simply can’t buy. I don’t remember back, tinkering in the days of the 8-bit machines, that the world was so draconian. The irony, of course, is that as more and more people have made serious money off computer status, so more and more gets spent on making sure that can continue. Never mind it was the free status of the market in the first place that gave proprietary tools the chance to thrive. The hand that fed them was being bitten not long after the first million rolled into the bank.
As a consumer, I’ve never really minded paying for software, and while I’m far from made of money, the free that interests me the most where open source software is concerned is the kind that lets me use said programs for what I want, without the fussiness and demands of a publisher on the other side of the planet getting in my way. Bluntly, I’d rather commercial publishers just said thanks and went on their way, rather than filling my in-box with junk.
To those, therefore, who work away on open source software: my thanks. Because even though the comments on message boards and suchlike may kid you otherwise, your work is appreciated. And your ethos most certainly is too…
Simon Brew
A former editor of Linux User & Developer, he spends his time moving between Windows, Mac OS and Linux. His desk also needs a thorough tidy-up.
This article first appeared in issue 82 of Linux User & Developer and is available online here.
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I see it all to frequently. When you buy software, you are NOT purchasing the software itself, you are purchasing a license to USE said software. In order to comply with the license you must adhere to the EULA and any other conditions attached to it by the vendor. So the next time you have to enter a 32 digit code in oder to use the software, just remember.. you agreed to it when you purchased the license.
I use Linux because crap like this doesn’t exist in most Linux software.
Couldn’t agree more. There is some sterling work being done out there by nameless people.
As a grunt Linux user my only way of helping out is appreciation or money. Both of which I try to give out in equal measures.
To those open source advocates who code for my freedom; I salute you.
Thank you. Your efforts are very much appreciated.
You wrote: “… the free that interests me the most where open source software is concerned is the kind that lets me use said programs for what I want, without the fussiness and demands of a publisher on the other side of the planet getting in my way.”
I can’t see why anyone would want to be lead around, poked at, prodded, snooped on, categorized, sold-out, sniffed, followed, stolen, lead astray….
You can pry the freedom my whole family gets by rolling our own Debian GNU/Linux blends from our cold dead hands.
10 years ago I got really tired of dealing with installation codes, Freeware and Shareware hoops & hurdles, And crack-sites when the original codes didn’t work. Not to mention M$.
Yeah, 10 years ago I went opensource. Linux and FreeBSD. Since that time, I never looked back. No more installation codes, and a lifetime of “actual” free and good quality software. I’m getting more into developing now, so hopefully I can give back to the community in the near future. Closed-source and M$ bad. Opensource GNU/GPL good. Uhg!
;D
@Grepnix
you can do even more if you like. Put a Free license on (some of) the things you have copyrights on. (And in case you think you have none, these are automatic most places these days and so you likely have a good amount.) Say Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike (somewhat like the GPL) or Creative Commons Attribution Somewhat like the BSD).
Photos you take, music you make, stories you write, movies you shoot. Add to the Freedom in the world with your own works.
Also, never undervalue the worth of your attention. Giving Free works a greater share of your attention will, in my opinion, lead to more Free works being made. And the network effects of such attention multiply the value of it.
all the best,
drew
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Join the Free Music Push
@Grepnix
you can do even more if you like. Put a Free license on (some of) the things you have copyrights on. (And in case you think you have none, these are automatic most places these days and so you likely have a good amount.) Say Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike (somewhat like the GPL) or Creative Commons Attribution Somewhat like the BSD).
Photos you take, music you make, stories you write, movies you shoot. Add to the Freedom in the world with your own works.
Also, never undervalue the worth of your attention. Giving Free works a greater share of your attention will, in my opinion, lead to more Free works being made. And the network effects of such attention multiply the value of it.
all the best,
drew
I just added the “bleeding edge” repositories for GIMP and upgraded to an even newer version (with single window capacity on Linux – yeah!). No upgrade fee. What a liberating experience. There is probably no upgrade fee for new versions of Photoshop, though.
It does make me grateful. Grateful enough to give back to the community; contribute code and documentation when I can, and financially contribute to projects where you can tell people are working their butts off for our benefit.
Thanks for reminding me again just how grateful I am to have left the world of a million fishhooks.
Simon,
Well said. There’s a fine line between ethical behavior and slime in some cases, and these companies are crossing that line. Which is why I like Free Software, and whenever I’m looking for a tool, I look at those licensed under the GPL first, and then BSD or Apache licensed tools.
Freeware I avoid, like the plague it is.
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