Freedom and Informed Choice
It’s an old debate among Linux enthusiasts, but new to me. Not because I haven’t heard it before, but because I haven’t really experienced it until now. There’s a lot of talk in the Linux and free open-source software (FOSS) communities about freedom and choice. It’s practically a mantra for many. Most of us non-geeky ordinary desktop users are simply grateful to have an alternative to Windows that doesn’t require a huge investment in new hardware and expensive software licenses. To us ordinary desktop users, “freedom” and “choice” in Linux and FOSS mean that we are no longer stuck with unsatisfactory and expensive Microsoft (or Apple, I suppose, as well) products.
But my “inner geek” apparently spent his vacation time mulling over a fuller meaning of Linux/FOSS “freedom” and “choice.” When he returned yesterday, he arrived with a Debian Linux installation CD and gave me a stirring speech about it. Most desktop users don’t concern themselves with things that they think have nothing to do with them. But I do, because I’m a wonderful, exceptional person. Here’s an excerpt from my inner geek’s rant:
Robin, you left Microsoft, among other reasons, because you felt that had no choice about which desktop environment suited you and your machine best. You resented being at the mercy of one supreme monopoly corporation or another. Along came Ubuntu, Mepis, PCLinuxOS, and Linux Mint, presenting alternatives which cost nothing in terms of money and offering several choices – all free of cost.
Y’see, wonderful though they are, each of these awesome Linux distributions comes with a hidden price for all that ease and convenience.
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