[TriLUG] Why do you/don't you use FOSS? (Was: Tablet Recommendations)

[Randy Barlow via TriLUG]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA512

On 05/17/2015 12:07 PM, Ken MacKenzie via TriLUG wrote:
> But unrooted they are tied to the amazon app store and purchases do
> not cross over from the Play store.

I think it's noteworthy that this is par for the course when you
choose to use closed source closed protocol proprietary systems. The
Google Play store is no different than the Amazon App store in this
regard. This is vendor lock-in, and it is the strategy that has been
employed by many companies to keep us "stuck" with them. Google,
Apple, Amazon and Microsoft all employ this strategy. I think they are
more alike than they are different for this reason.It frustrates me,
and I want to see the open source world take over this market.

It is true that the FOSS world is a little behind on mobile, but it is
catching up. The more you rely on proprietary software, the more you
suffer from problems like these. I think the greatest thing we can do
as a community is to find out how we can contribute to the effort.
Writing code is good, but it's not the only way to get involved.
Simply using free software and filing bugs about your experience goes
a long way on its own. FOSS projects also often need a lot of help in
their UI/art, community management, mailing list participation, or
documentation.

I know that TriLUG covers the full spectrum of FOSS adoption. Some of
us choose FOSS because it's our job or because it's free (as in beer
even!). Some people use FOSS for pragmatic reasons, using closed
source software for similarly practical purposes. Some of us are die
hard FOSS fans and use it whenever they can because they believe in
the values.

Whether you are a pragmatist* or an idealist, I'm interested to hear
where we fall on the spectrum as a group. I'd like to hear why each of
you uses open source or closed source software. I believe that people
come to FOSS for different reasons, and I find it interesting to think
about how we can come together on something common for these varying
goals.

As is probably already obvious I'm an idealist, though I don't devalue
the pragmatist view point. I am concerned about protecting my privacy,
and I think open source software is important to help us maintain this
right in the modern world. Free software grants us the right to study
the software (which means having access to the source), and that
allows us to be aware of what is happening to the data that we are
entrusting to the software we use. I also value the right to modify
the software I use, and the right to distribute my modifications. The
right to study is the most important to me, but I've exercised the
right of modification and redistribution as well. These freedoms also
protect us from vendor lock-in!

Why do you use or not use FOSS?


* I think it's possible to use pure FOSS even while being pragmatic.
Vendor lock-in is a real concern, and I think the freedom to control
your data is pragmatic. Thus, being a pragmatist does not necessarily
equate to using closed source software.

- -- 
R
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v2
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=Lnzv
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----