Submitted by elyersio in freeAsInFreedom (edited )
I mean, it can't all be harmful, can it? And, I don't think it really helps. What I should be doing is either convincing developers to make their software free, or learning how to develop my own free software. If I knew how to program, I could make free software versions of proprietary programs I like.
jaidedctrl wrote (edited )
You don't avoid non-free software because it's good praxis in and of itself-- avoiding non-free software's just a way to avoid the unjust hierarchy between developer and user and stay in control of your computer.
You can use nonfree software while still being a Free Software activist-- the only downside is that people you talk to about FS might think you're a hypocrite (``but you use Steam'' etc etc). And the whole ``inequal relation and relinquishment of control,'' but I guess that's a non-issue if you don't care about it.
But if you consider that insignificant enough-- a non-issue-- to use non-free software willy-nilly, then how can you justify supporting the Free Software movement? The most you could say would be ``yea, things should be this way, but I guess they don't really need to be…''
EDIT: Everyone in this thread's talking about how a non-free program could be spyware/something evil… it's not about that, dammit!