The renowned Volkswagen case that came to light a couple of weeks ago is a great example for better understanding the benefits of free software.
I think that in the world we live in, it’s very important to understand the power that software can have, and with non-free software, this power can be invisible to our eyes and act against us, or in favor of its manufacturer without us knowing.
This is no longer just a matter for Linux geeks… this is something that all people should become aware of. We are all exposed, we are all users. Beyond acting or not acting, I think a first and very important step is to understand the potential of the software we use, and even more so now that we’re going to have software inside all devices with the new trend called “The Internet of Things”.
Opening our eyes
At least understanding that we don’t know the behavior of what happens with non-free software. We don’t know what happens under the hood of the software. It’s like when a mechanic gives a diagnosis of the car, if you don’t have the knowledge, you have to trust the mechanic blindly. Now know that by using non-free software you are blindly trusting multinational companies the size of Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, etc… If a company like Volkswagen did this atrocity, what do you imagine the rest could be doing?
And this is just one of the edges, or sides. There are more.
There are four freedoms of software.
For more information you can read the website of the crazy folks at The Free Software Foundation, who despite being very extremist, help raise awareness, which is a first great step.
Open your eyes, be aware of what can happen.
And clearly know that if cars used free software, this could never have happened.