Thank you for your take on this issue, Michael. El 2022-02-23 10:49, Dr. Michael Stehmann escribió: > Hello, > > the freedom no. 0 is to use software for any purpose. > > If you want to use software on a special computer model, you might > need non-free firmware. That is bad enough. > > It isn't a restriction by licence but an actual one.
The user's choice is to use nonfree software or to be in control of who controls the software. > So distributors as users have the choice: > > Either to use (or distribute) non-free firmware and use and run Free > Software on that computer model. > > Or to run Free Software only on a few computers, which don't need > non-free firmware. That is an important lack of choice and reduces the > freedom of the user. The choice for the user is to dump either the nonfree software or to dump the hardware. The later choice is the best one because the user will think about what she buys next time. It is a way to take responsability and stop relying the abundance of choice. > So the question is: Which policy increases the common freedom? > > IMO both policies are honourable, because both are focused on the > freedom of the software user. Using nonfree firmware gives the signal to the manufacturers that they do not need to release the drivers as free software and to continue abuse to users. Obviously the easiest choice is to get the most functional use of the available software and hardware stack. But it will not prove to build a better future unless the user considers the long term effects of those choices. Migrating is not a one step process. But migrating to freeland is not a process with one step forward and two steps backward. If we have not needed nonfree software, there is no need to include more of it. Migrating from Windows to Ubuntu is taking two steps back with no steps forward unless there is real commitment to freedom. Migrating from Windows to Fedora is a better place under the same conditions. But a real step to freedom is just making a decision to dump the infringing hardware. If Fedora does not have a firm stance, it is just another choice among varying percentages of free software among a nonfree ecosystem. I hope these comments enrich the discussion. :-) _______________________________________________ Discussion mailing list Discussion@lists.fsfellowship.eu https://lists.fsfellowship.eu/mailman/listinfo/discussion
