Technical merits
Posted Dec 16, 2006 13:13 UTC (Sat) by
man_ls (subscriber, #15091)
In reply to:
"BadVista.org": FSF launches campaign against Microsoft Vista by tclark
Parent article:
"BadVista.org": FSF launches campaign against Microsoft Vista
I agree, but sticking just with technical merits is dangerous. There are lots of areas where proprietary software is better than free software; sometimes (as with playing DVDs or MP3s), free software cannot get there without transforming itself into proprietary software -- or changing the legal landscape.
In other aspects, like security, centering on the relative merits of free software can make us engage in a nonsensical battle about who is worse (more insecure). Think IE and Firefox. I fear this may happen with Vista.
Then there are some places where proprietary software cannot go: free software can be distributed freely, you can adapt it to your needs, you can run it as you like, or change suppliers; you know exactly what it does, and formats are open by default. These are the real winners for free software: centering on these merits you cannot lose.
(
Log in to post comments)