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#opensource #linux

00:00 Intro
00:40 Sponsor: Try AlmaLinux and TuxCare’s support services
01:16 Your Linux system is probably not 100% free
04:15 Why you’d want more proprietary software
06:26 Getting more users is key
08:12 Why you’d want to keep Linux FOSS
10:47 The chicken and egg problem
12:37 More proprietary apps, or FOSS only?
13:34 Sponsor: Get a device that runs Linux perfectly from Tuxedo
14:39 Support the channel

Modern Linux desktops can use proprietary software. Nvidia drivers are the prime example. Depending on your hardware, you might also use more proprietary blobs that enable your wifi, or bluetooth to work.

If you’re a Chrome user, you’re using proprietary software. If you’re a gamer, chances are you’re also using proprietary platforms.

Stallman eats something off his foot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I25UeVXrEHQ

Reasons you might want more commercial, proprietary applications: these probably all boil down to “I need these apps to use Linux as a daily driver”.

The apps people generally clamor for are Microsoft Office, the Adobe Suite, CAD software like AUtoCAD, a lot of games, streaming software, OCR software, voice synthesizers, plenty of VFX related software, this type of stuff: generally things that you’d need to use Linux professionally in certain fields.

That’s the main reason: it’s a make or break thing for a lot of professionals for them personally to be able to move to Linux.

Getting more users is the only way we’ll all get a better experience all around. Not only because having more users means potentially finally getting these AAA commercial apps like MS Office or the Adobe Suite, but also because the more users you have, the more chance you have of them becoming contributors.

Now, let’s look at the reasons to keep Linux desktops as Free and open source as possible. First, we have amazing applications that are free of charge, and free software.

We could argue that if we want these apps to thrive, we need to only have these apps available, and not their proprietary counterparts: basically a “throw the kid in the pool so it can learn to swim” approach.

If we want the FOSS ecosystem to develop and grow and improve, we need to make sure that people who move to Linux use these applications, and not the ones they’re already familiar with.

There’s also the philosophical aspects. Having proprietary offerings on Linux might end up “tainting” this enclave and making it worse, by encouraging the commercial practices of these companies, and erasing the mentality that many Linux users like.

So, either you think proprietary applications are necessary to have more market share, more users, and for everyone to be able to use Linux as a desktop, or you think proprietary apps will taint Linux and damage our existing FOSS applications. You might think Linux needs more users, or that it doesn’t.

In both cases, you might be right! Personally, I’m in the camp of “use what works”. I have a preference for FOSS if it works for me, but if none of the alternatives offer something I’m comfortable with, I won’t hesitate to use proprietary apps and software.

If you’re not in the same camp, that’s perfectly ok too! That’s the beauty of the Linux desktop: whether it gets proprietary apps or not, it will still be a viable option for us who already use it.