3 ms·
My thoughts exactly. I get what they're trying to do with the free software term but they're ignoring the psychology of the masses. Once a definition has taken
by nickpsecurity 10y ago
My thoughts exactly. I get what they're trying to do with the free software term but they're ignoring the psychology of the masses. Once a definition has taken hold, it's best to use it the way it was solidified or create a new one for a new concept. Bringing up "free," correcting the user that it's about political freedom, politicizing software, and so on will bring up many tangents like how people will get paid or should they.
Open-source w/ its differentiators focuses right on the benefits to the user. I follow-up with real-world examples with things such as car development or repair to help them see necessity of the benefits. Also explain how copyright and patent monopolies reinforce the problems with simplest examples I can get. This approach has worked well where people usually agree with most of it regardless of political spectrum. The next thing they ask is about quality of stuff nobody was paid to write. Replies to that seem to boil down to whether they trust me to assess and tell them the truth. Very impacted by their own beliefs on work ethic and markets.