4 ms·

Isn't it what you do when you use a free software stack?

• philwelch 13y ago
  The difference is that in free software, anyone can step up and maintain. Relying on the kindness of Microsoft is a much scarier proposition.
  • mpu 13y ago
    In theory, maybe. But, let's say you want to go maintain X11/GCC/Qt (or even xterm), I doubt "anyone" can. Some people are full time developers on these projects, paid by some company we somehow rely on. You cannot just replace an expert working on such a big piece of software. Of course, using free software might widen your "trusted base" compared to the situation where you go full MS.
• beagle3 13y ago
  No. Free software doesn't suddenly require payment 3 years down the line to remain legal to use