binzing said:
I understand the movement, but unfortunately free programs don't yet have everything I need
So use a non-free program like AVG, or Avast Anti-Virus. These are available for personal use at no cost.
and as I am not a programmer, its not like I can actually edit these open source programs to better fit my needs and likes.
But someone else could, and so you get software that is much better suited to users needs.
I use it because it's how I speak, and it makes sense to do so.
Even when you are given a good reason to change?
Most people, (even diehard Open Sourcers) wouldn't get in such a huff over symantics.
That just shows how little you know about the free software movement.
Also, I have already said that open source is only one of the requirements for software to be free, not all open source software respects the freedom of the user.
Calling only true blue Open Source programs "free" isn't going to further the movement, neither will correcting people every time they say something is free, when, according to you, they should say "available at no cost for non-commercial purposes".
Well then I guess you understand how to further the movement better then the man who founded it, which would be great for the community considering the progress that he has already made.
Let's support the people who supply alternatives (free for personal use) instead of blindly demanding that all software be free and insist that we should boycott software that doesn't meet your standards for "openness".
That's fine, if you use MS Windows and you want a anti-virus scanner (which I recommend against) then I recommend Avast AV first, and AVG second. I don't think the expensive alternatives do a better job.
I just object to calling AVG and Avast '100% free' when they do not respect the freedom of the user!
I made my living for over a year writing custom application software for business that needed applications that were not available commercially.
Imagine if everyone who did this released there code as free software. There is no argument that this would hurt sales, since the software you wrote is not availible commercially, but it very well could save 9-12 months of effort for someone else doing a similar task across the world.
Believe me, I would not have wasted my time writing and giving away free software
I hope that now you see that time would have been saved, if not for you then for other people, if the software that you wasted your time writing had been released for free once and for all. Very ironic.
and I am grateful for the people who make software available free for personal use while deriving their income from businesses.
That's fine, but wouldn't it be even better if they released in a way that respected your freedom?