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This point is lost on stallmanists. They still live with assumption that every user is a programmer or at least very interested in _controlling_ the software. N

by rimliu 6y ago

This point is lost on stallmanists. They still live with assumption that every user is a programmer or at least very interested in _controlling_ the software. No. Majority just want to use the software for whatever they need it to. Writers just want to write books, digital artists just want to paint, etc.

fsflover 6y ago
You can call me a "stallmanist" if you like, but this point has been explained many times in the essays of Stallman. In short: No one has to be a programmer. Free software allows you to hire anyone to work on your software, just like with car repairs.
- rimliu 6y ago
  And I can just call the vendor without looking for someone on github. I am a bit bitter here, because I grew up in make-believe idealogically driven society (USSR), so things reminding me that give me the mental allergy.
  - fsflover 6y ago
    The difference is monopoly versus free market of programmers.
    - EricE 6y ago
      Overabundance of choice is not always a positive, however. However awful they may be, at least with a proprietary software vendor I have one throat to choke. I don’t have to try to track down someone who can help me. Theoretically I can always find the programmer to help me fix my problem with an open source application - practically the odds of me being able to actually do so are not on my side; hence the continued flourishment of proprietary software. If the open source community would spend more time on solving issues like these that are brought up instead of insulting people who tell them why they don’t use open source software, more people might actually use open source software.
      - pessimizer 6y ago
        Maybe choose the support at the same time you choose the software then, instead of waiting for something to break i.e. exactly the same thing you do with proprietary software, except you can fire them. > If the open source community would spend more time on solving issues like these that are brought up instead of insulting people who tell them why they don’t use open source software, more people might actually use open source software. If you've ever asked this question before, you've probably gotten this answer before. The insults come from being frustrated that the answers are ignored, and the questions repeated.
        EricE 6y ago
        Rather than insult, how about just remaining silent, then? And as for finding support ahead of time - how? With some projects it's clear, but with many it's not. Because it's not a priority. Newbs are still looked down on. Nevermind that everyone was a newb at one time.
        cycloptic 6y ago
        >And as for finding support ahead of time - how? Find community members who know what they're doing and offer some money up front? I've noticed the RTFM attitude goes away pretty quickly with that.
- H_Pylori 6y ago
  > Free software allows you to hire anyone to work on your software, just like with car repairs. But almost nobody does. People have voted with their wallets. Why do you think that is? To me the answer is simple: most users don't care about "freedom" as defined by Stallman. People just want to use software, they only care about price, features and ease of use. Availability of source code is not a concern for 99%+ of users. And if people don't care about "freedom", but only care about price, features and ease of use, proprietary software wins hands down over free software.

by rimliu 6y ago

fsflover 6y ago

You can call me a "stallmanist" if you like, but this point has been explained many times in the essays of Stallman. In short: No one has to be a programmer. Free software allows you to hire anyone to work on your software, just like with car repairs.

rimliu 6y ago
And I can just call the vendor without looking for someone on github. I am a bit bitter here, because I grew up in make-believe idealogically driven society (USSR), so things reminding me that give me the mental allergy.
- fsflover 6y ago
  The difference is monopoly versus free market of programmers.
  - EricE 6y ago
    Overabundance of choice is not always a positive, however. However awful they may be, at least with a proprietary software vendor I have one throat to choke. I don’t have to try to track down someone who can help me. Theoretically I can always find the programmer to help me fix my problem with an open source application - practically the odds of me being able to actually do so are not on my side; hence the continued flourishment of proprietary software. If the open source community would spend more time on solving issues like these that are brought up instead of insulting people who tell them why they don’t use open source software, more people might actually use open source software.
    - pessimizer 6y ago
      Maybe choose the support at the same time you choose the software then, instead of waiting for something to break i.e. exactly the same thing you do with proprietary software, except you can fire them. > If the open source community would spend more time on solving issues like these that are brought up instead of insulting people who tell them why they don’t use open source software, more people might actually use open source software. If you've ever asked this question before, you've probably gotten this answer before. The insults come from being frustrated that the answers are ignored, and the questions repeated.
      - EricE 6y ago
        Rather than insult, how about just remaining silent, then? And as for finding support ahead of time - how? With some projects it's clear, but with many it's not. Because it's not a priority. Newbs are still looked down on. Nevermind that everyone was a newb at one time.
        cycloptic 6y ago
        >And as for finding support ahead of time - how? Find community members who know what they're doing and offer some money up front? I've noticed the RTFM attitude goes away pretty quickly with that.
H_Pylori 6y ago
> Free software allows you to hire anyone to work on your software, just like with car repairs. But almost nobody does. People have voted with their wallets. Why do you think that is? To me the answer is simple: most users don't care about "freedom" as defined by Stallman. People just want to use software, they only care about price, features and ease of use. Availability of source code is not a concern for 99%+ of users. And if people don't care about "freedom", but only care about price, features and ease of use, proprietary software wins hands down over free software.