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0 pointsvacri14y ago0 comments

for others, such as my wife, Android or Linux is no freer (as in speech) than iOS or Windows.

Not entirely true. Windows can run into licensing problems from time to time, which you don't get with the other major OSes. Buy a used macbook? OS is fine. Buy a used Windows PC? Well... the vendor said it was genuine. Turns out if you try to get the security updates, it starts complaining about not being genuine. I had to sort out exactly this problem for a nontechnical ex-colleague of mine who'd bought such a PC for her new small business.

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Tyrannosaurs14y ago· 2 in thread

That's an argument for free as in beer, not free as in speech.

But I'd say that's a pretty niche scenario. In over 20 years of PC use I can't say that I've ever come across it, either personally or seeing a friend or colleague go through it.

vacriOP14y ago

I think it's less niche than you say. Instead, there's been an entire culture built up around avoiding windows licensing. Non-technical users have frequently asked me for 'free' windows, and many folks know they have pirated stuff but avoid the security upates because they know it'll break their licensing. Others have Windows installer discs that are pirated but valid - 'free, working Windows'.

For the most part, it 'just works', but it's not doing so in a legal way.

Tyrannosaurs14y ago

That's different though. The first example was someone who thought they'd bought a valid license but had been duped. This one seems to be about people who want Windows but don't want to pay for it.

Those people need to do a total cost of ownership assessment and work out whether they go with something FOSS or something closed. While FOSS is great in cash out the door terms if you value your time it may not be as good a choice.

But again both are scenarios around free as in beer, not free as in speech.

* Incidentally, I should note I'm not against FOSS. I'm typing this into Chrome and I work for a company who build their products using Java and JBoss and who run an extensive Linux infrastructure. For us those have been great decisions but for my family who are not IT literate, I think the FOSS assessment looks very different.

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