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title: Free and Open Source Software
date: 2023-01-09
---

Consider the purpose of the software you use and the values guiding the project.
What is the founder’s mission? Who do they put first, the user or the company?
Sadly, it is usually the company. Profit drives companies and can come at the
cost of users. The company sells user data and deplatforms users. Advertisements
become abundant, and paywalls hide features. But free and open source software
(FOSS) offers user freedom, community-driven development, and learning
opportunities.

FOSS is available for anyone to use, modify, and distribute. Users are not
restricted by licensing fees or other limitations that can come with proprietary
software. This freedom allows users to customize and tailor the software to
their specific needs and ensures they have control over their technology rather
than the company that created it. If you notice a bug or want a new feature,
write and send your own patch. Even if you do not know the language or library,
read the documentation, speak with the community, and learn.

Open source projects have high accountability and trust because the code and who
wrote it are public information. Not only does this encourage the developers to
write better code, but it also encourages collaboration from users. Community
ownership is a fundamental distinction between proprietary and open source
software. In open source projects, the community owns the software rather than
the company. This community-driven approach also means that FOSS is often more
reliable and secure than proprietary software, as it benefits from the
collective knowledge and expertise of its users.

Users and developers are more likely to learn when they use FOSS. They can look
at the source code and understand how the program works rather than just what it
does. Developers can make their software compatible with other software and
hardware. Because FOSS is free to use and modify, it has economic benefits for
students who do not have income. It also benefits entrepreneurs and small
businesses with limited budgets.

How can you help?
- Encourage people to use free software
- Encourage schools and businesses to use free software
- Write and share free software and its ideas