1---
 2title: free software
 3subtitle: Software that respects your freedoms.
 4date: 2021-04-20
 5template: page.html
 6---
 7
 8In a world of user-hostile, privacy invasive software built by
 9corporations that definitely do not have your best interests in mind,
10free software is the light at the end of the tunnel.
11
12There's a lot to be said about software freedom, but in essence, it puts
13the user in control. You have the freedom to run, copy, distribute,
14study, change and improve the software as you wish.
15
16On the other hand, "open source" is less restrictive free software. Open
17source licenses tend to be more lenient; some even permitting nonfree
18conditions. As always, an excellent essay by RMS: [Why Open Source
19misses the point of Free
20Software](https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html)
21
22People who claim that the distinction doesn't matter are either
23
241. a corporate shill
252. someone who engages with "open source" on a superficial level;
26   doesn't care about ideology of free software (probably also uses
27   Discord)
28
29Luke Smith has a pretty decent video on people who fall under 2:
30https://videos.lukesmith.xyz/videos/watch/230c8314-ab89-4c47-ac7c-ea8b2e896cff
31
32These "grifters" that he talks about are pretty dangerous to software
33freedom. They don't care about nonfree software, or their privacy. They
34might have a superficial understanding of what free software means, but
35that's about it. And they're extremely loud about:
36
37- the need for a Code of Conduct
38- language used
39- meritocracy (also read: "you can't be smarter than me!")
40
41They usually always bring up the strawman that "you can't escape nonfree
42software", or that "your computer runs nonfree code".
43
44These people are a threat to free software. I am documenting this here
45in hopes that this situation changes in the future, and I can delete
46this section altogether.