Free software is a matter of choice not a need

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.