The Problem with Free & Open Source Software
Back in the early 2000’s I got into a discussion about the relative merits and problems with Free and Open Source software. One of the points of discussion was the first freedom identified by Free Software:
The freedom to run the program as you wish, for any purpose
This same freedom is identified in article five of the Open Source Definition. The point of that discussion was about the moral position of free and open source software as it related to proprietary software. My counterpart proposed that any software that was not free or open source was morally evil, while I defended the rights of creators to determine the bounds of their software’s use. I still stand by my position and will not retread it here. Any software developer has the right to define how and by whom their software can be used. But, I also believe that free and open source software is superior to proprietary software for many reasons and in many circumstances. The most important of those reasons is freedom.
Freedom Is Not Free
Freedom has consequences. Taking action necessitates accepting the consequences of such action. Sometimes those consequences are not to our liking, and still other times we have no control over the consequences. The trouble arises when the…
