Linux Today - Bradley M. Kuhn: Free Software in the Land of Opportunity

Bradley M. Kuhn: Free Software in the Land of Opportunity Feb 28, 2001, 07 :35 UTC (18 Talkback[s]) (2844 reads) (Other stories by Bradley M. Kuhn)

By Bradley M. Kuhn

When I was in grade school, right here in the United States of
America, I was taught that our country was the "land of opportunity".
My teachers told me that my country was special, because anyone with a
good idea and a drive to do good work could make a living, and be
successful too. They called it the "American Dream".

What was the cornerstone to the "American Dream"? It was
equality---everyone had the same chance in our society to choose their
own way. I could have any career I wanted, and if I worked hard, I
would be successful.

It turned out that I had some talent for working with computers---in
particular, computer software. Indoctrinated with the "American
Dream", I learned as much as I could about computer software. I
wanted my chance at success.

I quickly discovered though, that in many cases, not all the players
in the field of computer software were equal. By the time I entered
the field, large companies like Microsoft tended to control much of
the technology. And, that technology was available to me under
licensing agreements that forbid me to study and learn from it. I was
completely prohibited from viewing the program source code of the
software.

I found out, too, that those with lots of money could negotiate
different licenses. If they paid enough, they could get permission to
study and learn from the source code. Typically, such licenses cost
many thousands of dollars, and being young and relatively poor, I was
out of luck.

After spending my early years in the software business a bit
downtrodden by my inability to learn more, I eventually discovered
another body of software that did allow me to study and learn. This
software was released under a license called the GNU General Public
License (GNU GPL). Instead of restricting my freedom to study and
learn from it, this license was specifically designed to allow me
learn. The license ensured that no matter what happened to the public
versions of the software, I'd always be able to study its source code.

I quickly built my career around of this software. I got lots of work
configuring, installing, administrating, and teaching about that
software. Thanks to the GNU GPL, I always knew that I could stay
competitive in my business, because I would always be able to learn
easily about new innovations as soon as they were made. This gave me
a unique ability to innovate myself. I could innovate quickly, and
impress my employers. I even was able to start my own consulting
business. My own business! The pinnacle of the American Dream!

Thus, I was quite surprised last week when a vice president at
Microsoft hinted that the GNU GPL contradicted the American Way.

The GNU GPL is specifically designed to make sure that all
technological innovators, programmers, and software users are given
equal footing. Each high school student, independent contractor,
small business, and large corporation are given an equal chance to
innovate. We all start the race from the same point. Those people
with deep understanding of the software and an ability to make it work
well for others are most likely to succeed, and they do succeed.

That is exactly what the American Way is about, at least the way I
learned it in grade school. I hope that we won't let Microsoft and
others change the definition.

Copyright (C) 2001, Bradley M. Kuhn

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