Ethical
Free Software Sticks Around
- If the source code is available, anyone can continue it even if it’s abandoned or changed profoundly
- Companies can pull apps from app stores anytime
- Cloud services can are no longer accessible if their servers shutdown
- Much of the software in the Linux repos doesn’t have an active developer, but it’s still available, and that’s a wonderful thing.
You Can Truly Own Your Software
- In proprietory software, if the company gets out of business, the app goes away.
- With a license, you are buying permission, not the product
- I don’t want to spend years using an app to perform a taski only to have to start over when the software disappears. Even having the option to export my data doesn’t always mean another program exists that can import it properly, if at all.
- I rather have the peace of mind that comes from owning the app, even if I have to accept it as-is without having a company to turn to for support. Someone with the technical know-how can keep the program running and make it available to others. And each person is largely** free to do whatever they want with their copy.**
You Extend the Life of Hardware
Free software offers a way to break this cycle of planned obsolescence. Linux developers don’t care if you replace your current PC with a new one. If anything, it’s the opposite. Linux often works better on older hardware than newer technology.
This lets you replace your computer when you want to, if you want to, not because you don’t have a choice.
Income Isn’t a Factor
Free software empowered me to express my creativity and develop skills that would benefit me in my adult life.
The opportunity to gain that experience shouldn’t be limited only to the people whose families can afford to pay for expensive commercial software.
You Can Trust What’s Going On
Using software requires more trust than most other “products.”
- It could collect my data to learn about me
- It could have more copies of my data
Using proprietary, closed source software requires I trust that the developer isn’t doing anything with my data that I don’t approve. There’s no way to find out for myself.
Releasing an application’s source code involves an inherent degree of trust. You’re taking code you’ve written and sharing it with others. You’re putting your work out there for other people to inspect and criticize. But given what’s at stake, releasing the source code is also a big sign of respect.
References
King, B. (2016, August 17). 5 Reasons Why Software Should Be Free and Open Source. MUO. https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-reasons-software-free-open-source/