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Free software will liberate us!

•Cédric Famibelle-Pronzola

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Free software will liberate us!

"Free software will liberate us." This phrase should resonate in every corner of the planet. From Silicon Valley to the Continent, passing through the last territories to be decolonized. It is not a pious wish or an incantation, but a certainty. To liberate ourselves, we must all become aware of the importance of free software and the philosophy that flows from it.

What is software?

First, let's look at the definition of the word software. I offer you the one from the Oxford Dictionary: "The programs, etc. used to operate a computer."

As an example, Windows is an operating system (or operating software), not the best, perhaps even the worst of all, but it's the most widespread, notably thanks to aggressive lobbying, sprinkled with the corruptibility of traitors in suits. GNU/Linux is also among the operating systems, just like macOS. Microsoft Word is a word processing software, just like Writer from the LibreOffice suite. Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Brave, and Opera are also software. They are more commonly called web browsers.

What is free software?

To define what free software is, let's use the largest collaborative online encyclopedia, itself built with free software MediaWiki (mediawiki.org). According to Wikipedia (wikipedia.org): "Free software is computer software distributed under terms that allow users to run the software for any purpose as well as to study, change, and distribute it and any adapted versions." You will understand, Windows, macOS, Microsoft Word, and Chrome are not. Indeed, even if we can use them, we cannot study or modify them (at least not legally). In contrast, GNU/Linux, LibreOffice, and Firefox check all the boxes. That is, the latter guarantee the user the four essential freedoms that define free software:

  1. Freedom to run the program
  2. Freedom to study the source code of the program and modify it
  3. Freedom to distribute copies
  4. Freedom to distribute copies of a modified version

If software does not respect even one of these freedoms, it is not free. It is proprietary software.

Social networks

This distinction between free software and proprietary software can also be made with social networks. Very often, designers of proprietary software seek profitability. But how do you make a profit with free software? It's simple, just sell users' personal data or add advertising. Both are possible. Let's be clear, it's not about casting shame (not clean water) on developers or companies that make profits with their programs (you need to pay rent and eat). But in my opinion, software should at least be ethical and respect the privacy of its users. Take the example of Facebook. Despite being free, there is a price to pay for the right to install and use it. I allow myself three questions to illustrate my point:

  • Do you really read the entire TOS (terms of service) before installing an application?
  • Do you know the permissions (microphone, camera, files...) that you grant to applications when installing them?
  • Have you ever seen an advertisement related to a conversation (not necessarily telephone) held a few minutes earlier, appear on Instagram or YouTube?

If for the first two questions the answer is "no", we should not be surprised by a "yes" for the last one. However, there are free alternatives to these applications. They respect privacy and guarantee individual freedoms. Even if they are less used, they are just as intuitive as their proprietary alter egos. I'm talking about Mastodon (joinmastodon.org) and PeerTube (joinpeertube.org) among others. I will have the opportunity to come back to these in another article dealing with the Fediverse. But to simplify, Mastodon is a free alternative to X and PeerTube a free alternative to YouTube. While waiting for the article linked to these solutions, here is a very short video (runtube.re) explaining what the Fediverse is.

Let's summarize

On one side, we have software that is very often paid (free for some), of which we know nothing about how it works, which potentially siphons our personal data to better flood us with targeted advertisements. On the other, we have software, free for the vast majority, which can be dissected in the smallest details, modified and shared, which respects individual freedoms and privacy protection. The choice is quickly made, you might say, we should all choose freedom. Yet, the overwhelming majority chooses the prison that is proprietary software, even when the free equivalent exists. This is explained by the general public's lack of awareness of free software. The large groups that hold these digital jails count on our ignorance and the sorely lacking integrity of decision-makers to lock us in forever.

Let's change our habits

Beyond the lack of awareness of free software, the core of the problem can be summed up in three words: comfort zone. This place where we are comfortable, where we feel safe, is very pleasant. We would all like to stay there as long as possible, without ever leaving. But this idyllic place makes us miss essential things, such as knowledge and freedom. We should all take a tour outside our comfort zone from time to time, see what's happening there. Even if it means returning after each escapade. The only risks are acquiring knowledge and freedom. I like to say that if knowledge is a weapon, free software is a shield.

We must gradually reduce our dependency on GAFAM (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft) and avoid using tools provided by firms that exploit our data to sell to the highest bidder. Let's not be afraid to step a little out of our comfort zone to emancipate ourselves. It's within everyone's reach. It just takes a good dose of will and a bit of time. No more, no less. Our ignorance, the waste of our time in the meanders of algorithms, and our fear of change feed the GAFAM and will cause our downfall. Even if the path seems rough and fraught with pitfalls, it is not. Moreover, it's a path to take to emancipate, to free oneself.

To begin the little escapade, here is a simple table of proprietary software and their free equivalents:

Type Proprietary Software Free Software
Office suite Microsoft Office LibreOffice (libreoffice.org)
Browser Edge Firefox (mozilla.org)
Media player Media Player (Microsoft) VLC (videolan.org)
Email client Mail (Microsoft) Thunderbird (thunderbird.net)

The idea is not to throw yourself headlong into all these alternatives at once, that would be time-consuming. Just become aware of their existence and try them one by one over a period you define. A week, two weeks, a month, it doesn't matter. The important thing is to try them regularly. Some require a bit of time for learning or configuration (LibreOffice, Thunderbird), but others are very simple to use (VLC, Firefox).

As you venture outside your comfort zone, you will discover a vast catalog of free software suitable for all your needs. To help you on your journey, the Framasoft association offers the free directory, Framalibre (framalibre.org).

Savings for communities

Recently, alongside the fight against high costs of living initiated by the RPPRAC (Rally for the Protection of Afro-Caribbean Peoples and Resources), there has been talk of eliminating the sea grant in the last French colonies. This will significantly impact the budget of communities. To compensate, the latter can make savings through the transition to free software.

Let's take three concrete examples:

  • The city of Rennes has turned to free software to save money, as explained in the article by Numerama (numerama.com)
  • The city of Lyon has abandoned Microsoft "to move towards a general use of free software", according to Tribune de Lyon (tribunedelyon.fr)
  • This article from La Gazette des Communes (lagazettedescommunes.com) explains that local authorities are switching to free software.

However, there is a counter-example. It's the city of Zurich, in Switzerland. According to Le Monde Informatique (lemondeinformatique.fr), it went the opposite way. That is, it abandoned GNU/Linux for Microsoft. But if we look at a detail at the end of the article, we learn that it was Accenture that "recommended returning to Windows". Nothing abnormal, you might say. A city hall asks for advice, a study is provided, then a decision is made. Except that by doing some research, we find that Microsoft and Accenture are partners (accenture.com). So the question of the impartiality of the "study requested by the Mayor" arises.

Free software will liberate us

How will they liberate us? But above all, from what will they liberate us?

This article puts into perspective two diametrically opposed worlds. On one side, we have the lure of profit, individualism, and opacity. On the other, solidarity, sharing, and transparency. On one side, a closed world that is excessively financialized. On the other, a world of freedom and deeply human.

Free software will liberate us from the oligopolistic tyranny of the big tech groups, while paving the way for another world. Indeed, we live at the rhythm of GAFAM and financial markets. We feed them by using their digital jails. Without us, they don't exist, without them we are free. It is essential to seize our independence from the colonial state, but it becomes just as necessary for us to free ourselves from capitalism by changing our consumption habits. This applies to food as much as to digital.

Let's imagine a world in which the design of computer tools would be done with the preeminence of humans over capital. A world of transparency, solidarity, a thousand leagues away from capitalism and its frantic race for wealth capture. A world in which our individual freedoms would be respected and our privacy protected. This world is possible, let's get out of our comfort zone and create this world together.

Free software will liberate us.

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This article was written by Cédric Famibelle-Pronzola and is available under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 license (Attribution - NonCommercial - ShareAlike)