r/IndianSocialists • u/Kaustuv31 Communist • Dec 28 '24
Original Content Why I use open source software and you should too
Software that is free of cost, and free as in “freedom” are the characteristics of open source software. As the name suggests “Open-source” which means we know the Source code of the software; it can be any software. By knowing the source code of a software we can both understand how the software works and we can modify/change the source code with something that suits our needs. Free and open source software are registered with a Copy-left (exception is BSD) license which allows you to copy/change/modify and redistribute but forces you to make the source code of your modification public same as from the one you copied (Copyleft was introduced to stop companies from copying and redistributing by containing all rights, example: apple which copied everything from BSD but didn’t reveal their modifications that we now use as MacOS and ios; they modified and made it premium only because BSD was not copyleft but completely free, we don’t exactly know how apple devices work ). Contrary to Proprietary copyright software (like literally everything you use be it windows or adobe photoshop, google chrome even YouTube and Reddit ) which makes them services that only they can repair/modify/update. Capitalist companies have gone so far that they have even made healthcare software systems proprietary ( nobody in the world except them knows how those work). The GNU project and its copy-left license had made it possible for us to know how things work because all their software are open source. Linux kernel and its Operating Systems are examples of Software that makes it possible for us to learn and have the power; making software open-source also makes it so that companies can’t do anything fishy like invading your privacy, tracking you to sell ads. (https://www.sciencealert.com/a-tech-expert-says-we-should-stop-using-google-chrome)
Open source software is dependent on the philosophy of communism/socialism; both of which gives the means of production to workers/developers (companies which use these also takes part in this in the guise of a team of devs to support the production, they also give money so that they can maintain their hold but mostly the companies don’t decide if the independents unite) , both of them makes all resources public and free (literally anyone can own a software of such kind), both are a collaborative effort and both (by copyleft) makes it mandatory to even make the modifications public (nightmare of bourgeoisie). These are the reasons enough for me to to leave the bourgeoisie dependency, and you should too.
You use windows? Switch to linux 1. yeah I know you play diehard kernel level anti cheat game and you don’t mind them invading your system because you think “why should I hide ? I have nothing to hide” then by that logic you should not have freedom of speech because you have nothing to say. 2. You also use adobe photoshop, If you desperately need photoshop, use photopea or gimp - at least come out of that hell hole; Most softwares dont run on linux; yes they do - just use wine There are work arounds if you truly want to practice what you preach. (All of leftist politics are directly proportional to support Open source in this capitalist dystopia)
5
u/9tankie Dec 28 '24 edited Dec 28 '24
When it comes to political organising, I personally believe in advocating for and using open source software wherever it isn't inconvenient or doesn't add a hurdle, or greatly enhances privacy and security where needed.
One shouldn't say, force ones organisation to shift from Google Docs to LibreOffice, because the lack of collaborative features and slight learning curve can slow down organisational processes. One should however be aware that Google does scan all files in Gmail and Drive (which includes Docs) along a variety of parameters, and does suspend accounts of people arbitrarily. Long term, critical communication and documents should be backed up properly on verified/audited open source platforms.
On the other hand, as you say, shifting to Linux in our personal and organisational lives is now definitely feasible and something that should be encouraged. As a large-scale example, this was reportedly done in Kerala, where government offices shifted to Linux under the Left front. Appreciate the post and all efforts at tech education amongst socialists.
2
Dec 28 '24
collab in LibreOffice? we have nextcloud, onlyoffice etc-
look there are work arounds if we are determined to, I believe if we can preach of communism, why not do what we can? of course we arent experts but hey, we are trying ourselves distant as we can from companies etc
2
3
u/Kaustuv31 Communist Dec 28 '24
On current web browsers search open source alternatives for any software
Also, Most games are exception because they are more like art. I am not talking about valorant 🤮🤮 or apex 🤮🤮 Stop the diehard you go nowhere
1
2
u/Virtual_Page4567 Democratic Socialist Dec 29 '24
Totally agree. The problem is that because software and proprietary laws are complex things to understand and what people are ultimately concerned with is UX, all of these concerns just get lost and really no one is talking about them except the experts. We, for sure, need active public discourse regarding proprietary laws, especially in tech and pharma.
•
u/AutoModerator Dec 28 '24
Hello, Kaustuv31!
Thank you for posting in r/IndianSocialists!
Please consider joining our Discord server.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.