ABOUT FREEDOM AND POWER
by Ploum on 2024-04-08

https://ploum.net/2024-04-08-freedom-power.html

Freedom is the right to do whatever you want. Power is the right to 
force others to do what you want. Power is, by definition, being able to 
restrict others’ freedoms.

Copyleft is a tool that gives you freedom but no power.

Permissive licenses give freedom and power, allowing already powerful 
people to restrict the freedoms of others.

That’s why powerful people (and those dreaming of being powerful) don’t 
like copyleft. When you are accustomed to the privilege of power, 
freedom of others sounds like oppression.

Don’t listen to the powerful people. They will tell you that you need to 
protect powers just in case you become powerful yourself. They will tell 
you that you need to be against taxation just in case you become rich 
yourself. That you are a "temporary embarrassed millionaire". Similarly, 
they’ve told you to use MIT/BSD license because you could later become a 
"billionaire proprietary software tycoon" with your lines of code.

That’s, of course, a lie. They already are the barons. They want to use 
your own lines of code to restrict your own freedoms. We should not 
admire powerful people but fight them.

You may dream of power but all you need is freedom.

We need to protect freedom, not power. We need to respect humans, not 
bosses nor commercial interests.

Offer a little freedom : use copyleft licenses !



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