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Ethics is about humans in general, while Free Software primarily cares about the freedoms of software tinkerers. Most people won't magically feel more free or m
by sqrt17 8y ago
Ethics is about humans in general, while Free Software primarily cares about the freedoms of software tinkerers. Most people won't magically feel more free or more ethical when their Wifi card stops working because something or someone wanted to exclude "non-free" drivers.
Free Software ideology (yes, it is one) also won't tell you how to make the lives of those people better who - for whatever good or bad reason - can't tinker themselves out of their problems. Which is mostly everyone. In that sense, teaching them about Free Software instead of about ethics is a similarly bad idea as wanting to teach people Christianity instead of ethics. Christian and Free Software culture give you some start when it comes to ethics, but can't replace ethical considerations themselves.
- emiliobumachar 8y agoHere's a clear benefit to non-tinkerers, from Stallman himself: "You deserve to be able to hire your favorite programmer to fix it when it breaks." from https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/why-free.en.html https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/why-free.en.html I don't need to know any plumbing myself to appreciate the fact that I can hire professionals to fix or enhance my home system other than the ones who originally built it.
- yarrel 8y agoFree Software is a specific application of general ethics. This is an instantiation, not a replacement. Free Software cares about the freedom of all software users, who are humans that just so happen to be using software. The belief that this just benefits software developers is false, although it was the way that Open Source was promoted over Free Software. And that is part of the reason we are having this conversation.