[SLUG] Free as in freedom, the ethics of free software

[john at johnallsopp.co.uk]

Hi ppl

Here's my proposed text for the trifold entitled "Free as in freedom,
the ethics of free software", any comments, please yell.

Also, I appear to have cocked up the ability of my new machine to
print. The only thing I did was mess around with spadmin to try to add
fonts.

If anyone has a clue what might be wrong and what I might do to fix
it, yell, otherwise printing my trifolds for the stand might be a bit
tricky.

Anyway, here goes:

Free as in freedom – the ethics of free software

Find out what free software means and why it matters

In English there’s a problem with the word ‘free’. Free software, to
most people, suggests free as in gratis, and it’s true, there is a
world of top quality software here that will cost you nothing.

But the most important meaning is free as in libre, as in freedom.

What is software freedom?

Do you read software licenses? Almost no-one does, they’re near
impossible to understand and it’s difficult not to think the authors
are trying to confuse. By contrast, take a look at the GNU General
Public License, or copyleft, agreement (see link on last page). It’s
written clearly to ensure you know your rights and obligations.

The GPL exists to “make sure that you have the freedom to distribute
copies of free software (and charge for this service if you wish),
that you receive source code or can get it if you want it, that you
can change the software or use pieces of it in new free programs; and
that you know you can do these things.”

Why do those three things matter? The GPL gives you the right to
distribute copies of free software and to charge for that service if
you wish. That’s a revolutionary difference. Non-free software doesn’t
just stop you copying software for your friends, it even commonly
restricts how many machines you can use it on, and how many backup
copies you can take.

In allowing copying, and charging for copying (but not for the
software itself), the GPL created the legal environment in which most
of the free software movement could flourish. It’s the basis of Linux
Distributions, the collections of Linux plus application software that
bring free software to people in a format they can use.

The next freedoms, to see the source code, and be able to change it
and use it in new programs, are rather more fundamental. The source
code is the human-written program behind what the software does. In
non-free software, all you get is the compiled binary, which is only
readable by your computer. If you’re skilled enough, and you can get
access to the source code (this is what the term ‘open source’ means),
you can improve the software, not just for yourself, but if you share
your changes, and if a hundred people, or a thousand people, do that
too, then that software package can improve and gain real-world
capabilities.

Free, open source software is developed this way. It doesn’t matter so
much if you aren’t skilled enough to contribute, but the developers
always need to hear about problems or bugs, so you can contribute
simply by using software.

The other big idea contained in the GPL is that derivative works must
also be released under the GPL licence. This means software that’s
been developed in community space must stay there. It protects free
software from being exploited by commercial enterprises and ensures
that those who contribute to its development know their efforts will
always benefit the community.

Software patents

Before the personal computer, software was mostly given away free as a
way of selling mainframe computers. It was free in all senses. Todays
restrictive licenses are a recent phenomenon.

As social animals we have some fundamental freedoms. Once we evolved
language, we were able to pass on knowledge through storytelling, then
songs, and later, through the written word. Software is no different.
Software is a recipe, a way to do something. It’s knowledge.

What’s more, it’s not physical. If I give you a potato, I lose a
potato. If I give you a copy of some software, I’ve shared knowledge
with you but I’ve still got the original software. I gain a little
friendship, you gain some capability, and the world has improved a
little. Partly for this reason, free software has a big role to play
in the economic and social development of majority world countries.

Sharing knowledge in software, like sharing a recipe or parental
advice, is a fundamental freedom that may not be taken away.

Despite that, in the face of the growth of the free software movement,
those with interests in non-free software are trying to stop us. One
of their weapons is software patents.

Non-free software is already protected by copyright, which means you
can’t copy and resell it, but you can write your own software to do
the same thing.

Software patents control ideas and stop others from implementing them,
and they can be fundamental, such as the use of a mouse, or the
digitising of music.

Although a software patents bill was defeated recently in the EU,
software patents are legal in the USA and the pressure is now on
individual European countries. We need more people to watch this issue
and to fight to retain these fundamental rights. Using Linux is a step
in the right direction.

Along similar lines, the forthcoming products from Microsoft and Intel
contain  more Digital Rights Management technology that support new
ways for copyright holders to control what we do.

Linux is still very much in the minority. But by the time Microsoft
Vista becomes available, Linux and the ethics of free software will be
better known. The Arctic Monkeys became household names because they
encouraged the audience to record and distribute their gigs. You can
be successful with free products.

Why do I need to know all this?

Free software may be free/gratis but it does have a price. You
probably already know how to use Microsoft Windows or Apple Mac.
You’ll have to learn how to use Linux, and there can be a lot to
learn.

To get you through those dark days when you can’t get Linux to talk to
your scanner, you need to know you’re doing the right thing. Free
software is irrefutably right. Once you understand what software
freedom is, you’ll know that, and you’ll have the strength to push on
and become a Linux user, always and forever.

The free software community

It’s not just sheer determination and Google that gets you through,
however. Because free software is built by people for people, its
users are always available to help. That’s why there are local Linux
User Groups all over the world. You can turn up to a meeting as a
novice, or join their mailing list, and you’ll always find people
willing to help.

It’s not all about Linux. Break yourself in gently by using free
software now. Try using FireFox instead of Internet Explorer, The Gimp
instead of Photoshop, and Open Office instead of Microsoft Office.

What do I do next?

Check our meetings and come along. The next time you need software,
find out (from us perhaps) if there’s a free software alternative. If
you want to try Linux you’ll have to decide on a distribution, take a
look here <http://www.johnallsopp.co.uk/distributions.php4> or, again,
ask us. Keep in touch too, because we are working up to having an
installfest, so you can bring your machine along and we’ll install
Linux for you.


http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/
http://www.gimp.org/
http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html
http://www.openoffice.org/
http://www.scarborough.lug.org.uk/lib


Designed and produced by Scarborough Linux User Group:
http://www.scarborough.lug.org.uk/lib