Free software is a matter of choice not a need
3rd July 2008 by David North
BBC News have published an article by Richard Stallman of the Free Software Foundation with a reaction to Bill Gates retirement that then leads onto a full attack on proprietary software.
I can’t of course defend some actions by some companies like Microsoft that have engaged in anti-competitive and other dubious practices however the actions of these specific companies is not a reason to switch everything to open source.
Mr Stallman says “Gates didn’t invent proprietary software, and thousands of other companies do the same thing. It’s wrong, no matter who does it.”
It’s wrong? What a load of rubbish.
I’ve no issue with open source software - there is excellent software produced under GPL not least WordPress which this very blog is built on! However whether a piece of software is open source is up to the owner and therefore stating that it is wrong is none of Stallman’s business.
If I spent a large amount of my time on a software project I reserve the right to have the sole rights to the source code. If I choose to make it available to general community then again it is my choice.
I’ve got to say my personal belief depends entirely on what the project is. If it is a project that I’m interested in and would just like to share my ideas with others I may well make it open source. However if I felt that it had commercial value and there is a market for it then I’d make sure it was tied up like a kipper so I can maximize the potential of the product for sale.
Wrong? No just common sense for a lot of people.
So free software or proprietary software is a choice for developers and also the end user. The Free Software Foundation is a noble idea and if you are happy with it that’s fine but certainly don’t push it on people that don’t agree.
A common sense post on the Stallman article
Hooray!
and you’re from the Midlands as well
Hi Andy. I was quite surprised to see such a biased article on the BBC News website which prompted me to blog about it - looks like you have too.
I’m in Birmingham - where are you based?
Same here..i couldn’t believe the tone of it on a BBC site with no pre-qualifying details!
After I’d blogged about it i emailed the BBC too….I’ve had no reply as of yet
I now live in Nuneaton, work in Coventry but I’m originally from Walsall
I get about!
Stallman’s article isn’t about the average programmer’s decision about what to do with their code. Stallman’s article is about the oddity of celebrating the career of a man whose company has been convicted three times of a crime. It is about the blatant corruption between George Bush, who let Microsoft off the hook in exchange for being allowed to solicit campaign funds at Microsoft headquarters. It is about Microsoft’s relentless efforts to steer the internet away from the cooperative foundation it was built on and towards a “might makes right” way of operating. It is about the influence of major software companies and their role in the affecting the future of an increasingly information-based society.
So, in response to corruption, buying off politicians, muscling and bullying, and threatening everything that makes the internet great, all you can do is whine about the “bias” in the article? Where is your complaint about the “bias” of politicians who are bought and paid for by Microsoft?
I do a lot of work with open source software in Latin America, where having quality, community-based and free software *is* critically important. In developing countries, where starvation and extraordinary poverty are daily problems, why should any of them have to pay Bill Gates for a piece of paper “allowing” them to run a poorly-designed piece of software? That’s why Latin America, and many other BRIIC nations, are switching entirely to free software. And if Bill Gates had his way, those nations wouldn’t have that choice — they would have to pay what little money they do have to him and his greed machine.
Viva software livre! You can find out more at http://news.northxsouth.com/
I don’t agree - the article starts with reference to Bill Gates and Microsoft but then goes off on a much more generic attack on proprietary software which is the part I take issue with.
I acknowledge at the beginning of the post the dubious actions of some large companies including Microsoft - such is the case with most big business pushing things as far as possible. I’m not saying this is right just that it’s life (and human nature). Government should be there to regulate this.
As for Gates’s career is being celebrated being seen as odd - no I don’t think it is. Even with the negative aspects of his career you have to accept the huge success at bringing some technologies mainstream. I’m not saying Microsoft was the innovator for most of these however they have pushed technology further than competitors (maybe in some cases using unethical methods). The fact that Gates is seen as the anti-Christ by some clouds the judgement of the positives that he has made.
As for whining about bias?
“But Gates didn’t invent proprietary software, and thousands of other companies do the same thing. It’s wrong, no matter who does it.”
That isn’t a statement about Microsoft it’s about proprietary software as a whole. This statement is personal opinion and biased by Stallman’s position. In my opinion he is wrong. Open source is great but it up to the individual if they wish to make their code open source not Mr Stallman’s.
My post is about the choice for users to go for open source or proprietary software and also the developers right to choose which licensing system to use. As you say this is happening in Latin America so obviously this choice is being used. So as the title says “Free software is a matter of choice not a need” is still a statement I stand by.
I’m going to agree with David again too
Richard’s post starts off talking about one thing and veers off to take a swipe at two or three other subjects. The proprietary bit takes a shot at the whole commerical software industry!
If latin america feels it works better on free open source software good for them. As David said this is their choice