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> Given the free software philosophy, a free program is always superior to a non-free program, no matter how bad that free program is. I never understood this
by mac01021 9y ago
> Given the free software philosophy, a free program is always superior to a non-free program, no matter how bad that free program is.
I never understood this opinion. If I need to navigate to drive to my grandmother's house, and none of the free nav software knows how to get there, but I have access to some proprietary software that will do the job, then why not use it?
I can stop using it at any time I want, no strings attached. I can also reason about its ability to perform actions that serve its creator's interests rather than mine (capture my data and send it to the mothership, mine bitcoins on their behalf, ...) and I can make rational decisions about whether the ability to find my way to grandma's house is worth the risk. Often, the math works out that I am better off occasionally using the proprietary software.
- mrguyorama 9y agoYour average user will be unable to make those "rational decisions" as they are often not made aware of the downsides. This is intentional