Things I have learned

I have learned many things since using Linux. The most important thing I learned by using Linux is summed up in one word, freedom! GNU/Linux is Free Software, in the sense that you have four essential freedoms. For more information about the freedoms, click the "Free Software Definition" link to the right. In the 4.5 years I have been using Linux, Free Software was the greatest discovery! I can use software, good software, without signing a End User License Agreement or EULA! When you install a proprietary software package, you must sign the agreement and must swear that you will never give a friend a copy of the program. That license is an immoral license. It takes away your freedom as the user of the software to use it however you wish, as well as severing you from the cooperative community entirely! Such licenses destroys to the utmost the social solidarity of your community.

Imagine you live in a free country where you have liberty to do whatever you wish. In this country, you can come and go and do whatever you want. In this country, you can vote, protest, and exercise your free speech. Now imagine that this country which I just described is a illusion! A country where everyone is brainwashed by the government through the mass media. everything you say, do, and think is controlled by the government. When you exercise your right to free speech, it is the government propaganda. When you go to vote, the votes are rigged. And when you decide to do something, you only do what the government says is OK! So it is with proprietary software! Most of us were brainwashed into believing that proprietary software is good and necessary to keep corporate profits up! This is a lie! Free Software can be bought and sold, as long as the GNU GPL license is followed and obeyed. This protects users from loosing their freedom. So I would hope that everyone refuses to agree to the EULA, and use Free Software only.

Back in December of last year, I bought a new HP notebook computer, but it had Windows 7 pre installed! I have to admit, i used Windows 7 for a while to see how it has evolved! The only positive thing i can say about it is that it looks sharp, but that is as far as I will go! There were many things I wanted to do in Windows that I could not do. Windows 7 is riddled with Digital Restrictions Management. I was so accustomed to having freedom to use my computer how I wish in GNU/Linux that i became spoiled! In GNU/Linux, when you watch streaming videos, the stream gets cached as a file to a directory called "tmp" so the video can be played. I could not do this in Windows 7! That is but one example of many of why proprietary software is evil and immoral.

Many people new to Free Software gets confused when they hear about "free ware". Free ware is proprietary software for the most part, that is distributed at no cost. The fact that you can get the software at no cost does not make the software "Free Software"! Remember, Free Software is free as in free speech, not as in free beer. It just so happens that you can get "Free Software" at no price. You can buy and sell Free Software, and it will remain Free Software because you still possess the freedom to use, study, and redistribute copies. You never have that right with proprietary software. This is the essence of what Free Software is. The only restriction on Free Software is when you distribute exact copies of the software, you must give the user access to the source code (recipe) and the GPL license, so they have the same freedoms as you. When you redistributed modified version of free software (modifications you made yourself) you must mark your changes, as well as what was stated in the previous sentence. In this way, no one can make changes to the software and make it proprietary!

It is hard to truly value freedom until you realize you have none. When you use proprietary software, you give up all freedom to use it as you wish. Visit all the websites that are linked to the right, there you will understand better, especially the "Free Software Definition" link. To some, all this will have sounded like talking about an issue that is not important. I believe that Freedom and Liberty can't be divided. You can't have some freedoms and liberties and not others. Now you know that proprietary software violates your freedom to use your computer how you wish. You also know that Free Software restores your freedoms! What will you do about it?