Opera 9 is impenetrable to users' eyes

Posted Jun 26, 2006 1:41 UTC (Mon) by bignose (subscriber, #40)
Parent article: Opera 9 Is Music to eWEEK Labs' Ears (eWEEK)

> This is a feature that we have been looking for in browsers for a long time
> now, and Opera 9 has finally pulled it off.

Sounds like one good reason to choose free software: if you want a feature, with non-free software, you have no choice but to wait for the software vendor because no-one else can change the code.

With free software, there's no need to "wait for a long time" for improvements. Call on another developer who will act on your request more promptly, because they already have freedom to improve the software on your behalf.

Opera 9 is impenetrable to users' eyes

Posted Jun 26, 2006 14:47 UTC (Mon) by tjc (guest, #137) [Link] (1 responses)

With free software, there's no need to "wait for a long time" for improvements. Call on another developer who will act on your request more promptly, because they already have freedom to improve the software on your behalf.

Well, yes in theory that's great, but... have you ever actually looked at the source code for Firefox? Or Openoffice? If your employeer gives you 48 weeks vacation a year, then modifying your web browser might be viable.

Opera 9 is impenetrable to users' eyes

Posted Jun 30, 2006 1:34 UTC (Fri) by bignose (subscriber, #40) [Link]

In the quoted part you respond to, I said "Call on another developer who will act on your request more promptly". It isn't clear to me why you mangle that into "modifying your web browser" oneself, on holiday.

To be more clear, the option is there to *pay for someone else* to add features to free software. That option is not available with non-free software, leaving its users to "wait a long time" for the vendor's interests to somehow align with their own.

The benefits of free software are not simply that the *user* can improve the program. The benefit to the users of free software is that *anyone* can improve it, allowing any user to help themselves by finding someone skilled and offering an incentive to do the work.

That option simply does not exist with non-free software.