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Today is the day that the United States of America celebrates Independence Day. We declared ourselves free from England’s rule and started a Revolution to create a country based on truly revolutionary ideals. The ideal that all people are created equal in the sight of God and no one is above another in God’s eyes. The ideal that people have unalienable rights given to them from God, not from government. The ideal that people have the right to abolish an out of control, despotic government to replace it with one more amenable to the people. These unprecedented ideals had never been set forth in writing to form any other nation until the beginning of the United States of America. Yes, we did win our freedom but it was not freely given to us. Men pledged “… to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” and went to war to win this freedom.
To remain free we in the USA still must be ever watchful of government, maintain a standing military and keep up with advancing military practices and hardware. We must all be educated in the ideals laid out by our country’s founders. We must all learn how our government should work and make sure it does not fall into fascism or despotism. We must make certain that our Constitution is not diluted and sullied by those who loathe it for the restrictions it places on their ambitions of power and control. Thus our freedom comes at a price and these are the costs of having that freedom.
Is it correct to compare the freedom of Free Open Source Software (FOSS) to the freedom gained from the Revolution of the States? In some ways it is not. No one has yet had to die in a war to win freedom to use FOSS. As far as I know God does not guarantee any unalienable rights for free software. But in other ways the comparison is appropriate. Some people have to give their time, talent, and in some cases money to create free software for everyone to use. These people are the founders, the statesmen and the warriors that give us all the opportunity to have and to use FOSS. This is one cost of FOSS. Then there are “we the people” the users of free software. These users must take the time to study, learn to use and share their knowledge of the FOSS that is so generously created and given by others. This is the cost of having FOSS for the end-user.
True freedom requires one to make an effort to be liberated and to stay liberated. Therefore freedom is not free. Even though freedom has a cost it is always worth the price in this author’s humble opinion.
This article has had this many unique views:
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on Jul 4th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
It’s fair to say that many people spend large amounts of time, effort, and money producing FOSS for the likes of me to come along and benefit from. I also try to spread the word about Open Source to clientèle, so I can accept that end-users “spend” as well. However, the comparison with the independence of the United States of America is inappropriate. Many other nations may have equally good governments and enforced legal systems which came about in completely different ways. Some people could also argue very competently that there are other even better forms of government. All governments maintain a measure of control of their subjects. FOSS on the other hand is a tool used and controlled by ordinary people, and it evolves largely based on the needs and desires of ordinary people. FOSS is subject to the ordinary people whereas those ordinary people are subject to government. I can’t see appropriate comparison between the two.
on Jul 4th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
FPDW (comment #1), thank you for reading. Your comment does pose an interesting argument. However, the government of the United States as originally designed is a government of the people. The words of Abraham Lincoln say it best:
“… It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” Abraham Linclon, Gettysburg Address, 1863.
FOSS is software that reflects “… of the people, by the people, for the people …” of the original intent for government of the United States. The intent of the founders of the USA was for government to be small and only govern by the will of the people. While we have gotten away from that in the last century there are still those of us here in the USA that believe that is the best ideal of all.
Edit: In reality the citizens of the USA were never intended to be subjects of a controlling federal government. We were intended to all be the government and be involved in self-governance. There are powerful interests in the USA and world at large that do not want that and work hard to obfuscate that particular United States ideal.
on Jul 5th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Freedom is not Free!
I fully agree, and believe it is why our freedom is eroding so much.
In many ways, “many of the poeple” are not ready to pay for freedom they have.
on Jul 5th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Martin (comment #3), thank you for your comment. I appreciate your taking the time to read and respond.
on Jul 5th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Everyone, I have received one comment so far that goes into an anti-USA rant on the same level as the “Micro$oft is EEEEVUUUULLLL!” crowd. These types of comments are not productive and will not be allowed here. There are plenty of other places to post that sort of drivel.
on Jul 5th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Thanks for reiterating that “Freedom” is not free, it requires diligence & perseverance,sometimes more. People now days have forgotten that part. I can imagine what our Forefathers would think. That brings to mind: TANSTAAFL
on Jul 6th, 2009 at 10:29 am
A long time ago in a land far, far away, there once were free men.
We live today in the land of the enslaved. From our birth in a state licensed facility to our burial by a state licensed undertaker, every part of our life is owned, controlled, and specified by the fascist police state. The gangs of armed thugs needed to keep us under control keeps getting larger. The taxes keep going up to pay for the armies of slave catches in blue suits, and prisons for men who would not obey.
“Any government that takes 1/10 part of a man’s income, in total of all taxes, is tyranny and should be overthrown,” The Continental Congress 1775.
on Jul 6th, 2009 at 10:40 am
Randy (comment #6), I appreciate your comment. Yes, “There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch” is an excellent reminder that we must work for what we want. Including freedom.
on Jul 6th, 2009 at 10:50 am
Bob (comment #7), Yes, our citizens have given up too many freedoms over the years for perceived safety. “When seconds count help is only minutes away.” Some dismiss what you say, and what others like you say, as wild-eyed, “nut-talk”. There are those of us who do see the problems with our current lack of freedom. I think the “tea parties” attest to that. The federal government is too big and made us all serfs the day the, improperly adopted, 16th amendment was made “law”. We will have to do something about this problem eventually. What exactly to do is now the debate.
on Jul 6th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Some are still writing comments and addressing issues that are not really what this article is about. The mildest examples are included here in comments #3, #6 and #7. I did not write this article to start a debate about the merits of the US government nor of the USA in general. That debate has already begun and has better venues. I do sympathize with some of your viewpoints but this is not the venue to discuss them.
If you want to comment on the idea that FOSS has some connection to mankind’s fight to be free then please do so. Rants against God, the USA or against the US government will continue to be deleted. Points of view that I consider to be way off base will also be deleted.
Anyone that wants to attempt to point out that I invited these comments should know this web log is not a democracy nor a republic. If I think what one has to say has a point related to the thrust of an article as I intended then I will usually post that comment. Otherwise do not expect to see comments that drift far afield of what I see as the point of an article that I wrote.
on Jul 6th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
Your article conceptually is right on. However, I would add this. Free Software is merely an expression of the freedoms for which the Founding Fathers and others under their leadership fought against Britain. It is, as RMS put it, about free speech. If our government kow-tows to the Microsofts and Apples of the world, then we will have a problem. It’s not Microsoft itself that I oppose. Rather, it’s what Microsoft, MPAA, RIAA, and Apple in their current incarnations *represent*. That being control over the lives of others. They at this point want to go totally against what the Bill of Rights spells out for us.
The existence of Free Software and the truly Open Standards that come with it is the digital version of the Second Amendment. It’s what keeps “the ones in power” in check (Andy Updegrove and Eben Moglen have stated this in so many words multiple times). That’s why the interests that Microsoft, etc. represent oppose it so much; it immediately and directly threatens their power over us. That’s why Apple so strongly opposes Ogg Vorbis/Theora in the HTML 5 spec. That’s why Microsoft worked so hard to get OOXML ratified by ECMA and then ISO (the “citizen’s gun”, to them, is OpenOffice.org).
And if you can buy off enough politicians, you can get laws passed. That’s why educating the electorate in terms they can understand is so important.
This is why I support Free Software…and the Second Amendment too, BTW.
–SYG
on Jul 6th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
Sum Yung Gai (comment #11), Thank you. You show a remarkable aptitude to get the point I was making. I appreciate your well considered comment.
on Jul 11th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Testing that comments still work for unregistered users after working on database errors.
(It is working. Gene)
on Jul 12th, 2009 at 6:15 am
[...] Freedom is not Free for Countries nor Computer Users Today is the day that the United States of America celebrates Independence Day. We declared ourselves free from England’s rule and started a Revolution to create a country based on truly revolutionary ideals. The ideal that all people are created equal in the sight of God and no one is above another in God’s eyes. The ideal that people have unalienable rights given to them from God, not from government. The ideal that people have the right to abolish an out of control, despotic government to replace it with one more amenable to the people. These unprecedented ideals had never been set forth in writing to form any other nation until the beginning of the United States of America. Yes, we did win our freedom but it was not freely given to us. Men pledged “… to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” and went to war to win this freedom. [...]
on Oct 3rd, 2009 at 9:03 am
i will respectfully disagree with you.
on Oct 3rd, 2009 at 11:18 am
N. M. (comment #15) thank you for reading.
You are disagreeing in what way? If you are disagreeing with the concept of personal freedoms as put forth by the founding fathers of the USA I do not find that surprising. You are after all connecting to this site from Pakistan (Based on your IP address.) and you are a practitioner of Islam (See the URL linked in Nasheed’s name, he probably wants us to do that anyway.
). Neither of which are known for the dissemination of personal freedoms.
If you object to the idea that FOSS freedoms are won similarly to those based on the ideas put forth by the founders of the USA, but without bloodshed, then make your point. Just stating you disagree without qualification is quite vague and is not helping your cause.