Blogger Idol Week 2: Freedom

Have you ever thought about your computer and freedom in the same thought? Have you ever thought about all of those licenses — contracts — you have to agree to just to get to your information, documents, and so on? If so, you may begin to understand why the Free Software movement works the way it does.

Imagine this scenario: a large corporation that provides software for creating letters, spreadsheets, and other documents might decide to patent its format and prevent you from opening your own documents in any tool other than their own. Sound far fetched?

It isn't. Microsoft just filed for such a patent.

Computers are suppose to bring freedom, but unfortunately, they can also take it away. As we become more dependent on computers to access our information, it should concern everyone that a few corporations control your identity. That certainly is not freedom. As one interviewee on Open for Business noted a few years back, this gives companies like Microsoft the opportunity to lock you in a proprietary prison, requiring you to agree to more and more aggressive licensing terms just to keep access to your documents.

Proprietary software companies, especially, thoses like Microsoft that frown on not only Open Source but even open standards, are basically trying to get people “addicted” to their software. Once you have your project information, financial information, personal letters, meeting presentations and everything else in their software, you are addicted. What are you going to do? Give up all of your data and start over?

Right now, there's another choice. If you switch to a Free Software platform (such as GNU/Linux) or even a semi-free platform (such as Mac OS X, which as a Free Software core now), you are moving in the right direction. The second step is simply to switch away from proprietary productivity software — instead of MS Office, try OpenOffice. Yes, it's not quite as nice, but isn't your freedom worth it? Soon, however, OpenOffice might not be allowed to load Microsoft Office files. Then, your only choice will be start over at whatever point you decide Microsoft's EULA's are too restrictive.