Open up and be free
There is one class of software whose authors want you to copy their work for free and encourage you to distribute it to others. It’s occasionally called Open Source software and it’s described by some as being “free”, since you can don’t have to purchase a licence in order to own or use it.
Think about it. Free software. That phrase should be sending hordes of Malaysians scrambling to abandon their Windows machines and embrace this new movement.
After all, I’ve experienced the crush that is the Malaysian Mega Sale Carnival, and that’s only when I was unfortunately swept up in a snarl (even though I tried to clarify my status as merely an observer, I learned the hard way to never get between a determined shopper and her shoes).
So, why is there no mad rush for free software?
The truth is, for most Malaysians, cheap or free software really doesn’t count for much. After all, your average copy of a Windows application (recommended retail price: several hundred US dollars) can be bought for quite a lot less in the shady corridors of our shopping complexes (“special discount” price: RM30). The truth is, for most Malaysians, the difference between free and almost free is not much at all.
The other truth is, we’re mostly too lazy to go out on a limb and try something new that doesn’t have the marketing budget of a small nation behind it.
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