Bonum Certa Men Certa

Computer Users Aren't Zoo Animals

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Jan 15, 2025,
updated Jan 16, 2025

Monkey behind bars in a zoo

Animals don't belong inside cages in zoos, either (they are not 'owned')

TODAY we speak about who controls the computer and data stored on it. GNU/Linux vendors like Canonical believe it's OK to let Microsoft control users of GNU/Linux. Guess who's paying who and what for... hint in last month's blog posts by Canonical.

Canonical is only pursuing money and its founder, Mark Shuttleworth, openly complained about the lack of money (in his experience) giving users true control over their desktops/laptops, hence the 'freemium' model with Ubuntu One (abandoned), Ubuntu Pro, Snaps/"trusted" containers (typically a proprietary ramp), and even Azure (or some proprietary software that doesn't even run on Linux natively, e.g. SQL Server).

Some people believe that Linux must be caged and users of GNU/Linux should be controlled by Microsoft. If you disagree with them, they'll start a campaign of defamation in the media or even sue you frivolously because it's "funny" [1, 2], according to them.

Our goal has always been (since 2006) to emancipate users and programmers. Nearly 19 years later we're still working towards that goal. That includes eliminating all software patents, everywhere.

Users should have some control over the programs they use and, by extension, over the devices they use. Don't try to explain to them that being inside some cage or some walled gardens (e.g. "stores" and "social control media") is somehow beneficial to them. When a fire breaks out in a zoo a lot of animals typically die because they cannot escape (in nature, they'd just run or fly away). The zoo does not actually protect them. There are still predators, even if they're humans who pay money to watch them or get paid to let people watch them.

The computing world needs to be like wildlife, not a structured prison (where urban fires also cause scores of deaths). Wildfires happen, but animals can flee. Without restrictions and vendor lock-in, computer users can also flee. Allow them to use their judgement and common sense, don't impose "trust" on them. Stop treating everybody like cattle or "livestock".

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