Why free software is more important than ever
This article is about the big players like Adobe, Google, and even Microsoft potentially pulling back support for GNU/Linux. I know it is non-free, but Adobe never gave many people their Creative Suite and their AIR and Adobe Reader programs were way behind the Windows and Mac ones. Flash is still there, but will be Chrome only with 11.3.
Maybe its because these companies are focusing on smart phones and tablets now instead of the traditional desktop. They will always support Windows because of the market share and Microsoft's will, but this can't be good for the average Ubuntu user or whatever that relies on some things that may be taken away.
That is why free software is important. If one company pulls support for a program, then the community can take over. With these non-free programs by big corporations pulling support, many people are out of luck until a replacement is fully ready.
I meant to say Mozilla pulling support instead of Microsoft. Too bad I can't edit my original post. :-(
The less proprietary software there is for GNU/Linux the better. Adobe has
never helped free software one bit, in fact, they hate it. As a BSA member
Adobe actively attacks free software. Google's attitude has always been
fairly ambivalent. And incredibly GNU/Linux has been a second rate citizen to
Mozilla at least since Firefox 3.
I agree these companies demonstrate the importance of free software, where
you have the power to make decisions.
The less proprietary software there is for GNU/Linux the better. Adobe has never helped free software one bit, in fact, they hate it. As a BSA member Adobe actively attacks free software. Google's attitude has always been fairly ambivalent. And incredibly GNU/Linux has been a second rate citizen to Mozilla at least since Firefox 3.
I agree these companies demonstrate the importance of free software, where you have the power to make decisions.
I am a member!
I don't use Trisquel at the moment but even I can see how free software is absolutely necessary. Though I use Sabayon, one of the first things I have done after installing my system was to remove the majority of proprietary packages. Flash is gone to be replaced by a combination of Gnash and HTML5. In fact, the only proprietary package I use is NVIDIA since I was discouraged by nouveau's overall lack of quality. The reason for my removing proprietary packages is very simple though: I don't trust software developers in general and feel that if they had nothing to hide in their code, they would be anything but unwilling to share the source. A reluctance to share code sounds suspicious to me especially in light of the fact that we have learned that Google, among other notable big players, are working with the American government and others to essentially spy on users. Even though free software used to seem like idealism, it is becoming a necessity and I truly admire Richard Stallman for the movement he has brought forth.