More I grow up, more I realize I choose my tech to fulfill my needs. not to use features the tech just gives me. I won’t suddenly feel a new need because an app or device has it. New technologies are often designed and made in a way to manipulate you into using them and I choose to resist that.

That is one reason I use free software. Free software is about freedom and that’s what gives me choice and lets me do my computing how I decide. Computer user freedom is about letting people decide how their computers and programs work and being able to change them to make sure it does what we ask them. Plus, we can distribute our copies (including copies of our modified programs) so we can help others as well.

It’s not that we always change or modify programs, I won’t change anything most of the times, but it’s about our rights. Think of software freedom in the way you think about freedom of speech. We may not have something to say but we certainly would like to have the freedom just in case.

Free software is the practical answer to our computing needs. It’s a right and it should be default way of computing. Computer user freedom makes sure that you’re in charge. It makes sure that the program won’t seduce you or create new needs, it just does what you ask it to do. It will satisfy your current needs, and nothing more. If you need a feature, it can be implemented in it, by anyone you decide. Most of the times the developers update programs so you won’t need to do anything but if the developer doesn’t upgrade or implement something, you can do it yourself or ask someone to do it for you.

Free software won’t manipulate you to do something, it won’t create new needs for you. If it does, you will have the ability and total power to modify it to stop doing that. Free software is all about empowering users over their computers and programs. It’s about putting you in control of what you own.

Free software is that superhero that won’t decide good and bad for you, it only puts you in power to decide for yourself. It’s that superhero that prevents the greater harm, which in this case is digital slavery, and puts you in charge of your own computing.