Software and Liberty

Let me preface this by saying it straight. Proprietary software is not inherently malicious or evil as long as the user is on board with it.

Individuals and businesses should have the freedom to use whatever software they believe best suits their needs. It is entirely their prerogative to use a proprietary solution if it benefits their situation. If a proprietary product provides better value to a user than a FOSS alternative, it is hard to argue that their choosing the proprietary product isn't justified. Why would an everyday user prioritize ideology over practicality?

A lot of people online and offline tend to get really militant about somebody's choice of using a mac or using adobe products. Of course, we should suggest alternatives and show how this may benefit them; however, insisting and getting aggressive about these choices is not reasonable.

But things get different when we're talking about public institutions like schools, governments, really any institution that is funded by taxpayer money. These places are there to serve the public, which means their operation must be completely transparent.

Children also are not capable of making informed decisions for themselves regarding software use. Schools, that are responsible for their education must ensure their rights are upheld. This beautiful essay by Richard Stallman explains why free software is the only way this can be achieved.

Citizens have every right to know what software is running on their behalf and to make sure that it's acting in their best interests. Proprietary software by definition lacks this transparency. This is the foundation of liberty. People individually can choose whatever they want; however, as a collective public, transparency is NOT optional.