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IBM Inclusivity: Red Hat Summit is for Rich Sponsors Like Microsoft and Rich Guests Who Pay $500 a Day

GNU/Linux Adoption is Higher in Richer Countries

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Feb 20, 2026

Almost 43 years have passed since Free software was "born" (or formulated as a concept) and many people believe that free/libre (or "Free" with a capital F) software means gratis, i.e. it's something people choose in order to save money. This is not so. There's the assumption that it was all along about avoiding fees. This supposition, however, is patently false. It's a smear.

Looking at nations around the world based on capital (national, per person etc.) it seems like some of the richest countries have the highest share of GNU/Linux.

Is it the "luxury" of knowing how to get and then maintain GNU/Linux? Is it because freedom is actually expensive - something that only privileged people can pursue? █

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