Drawbacks in today's free software

Updated February 17, 2009

A very common practice today consists in rewriting as many features as possible from a commercial software in the aim of releasing it as free software. The original vendor may have no recourse to keep his business running if a software patent was not seeked and obtained, no matter how innovative and brilliant the implemented ideas and processes were.

Such practices witness a great lack of responsibility from their instigators, the more so when the concerned soft is used by companies. Actually those indulging in such tasks just put at risk developper jobs for the sake of making much wealthier people marginally spare. Those "heroes", who most probably never were confronted to the necessity of earning their lives, will then loudly complain about the threat brought about by software patents.

Did they at any moment consider their own responsibility in this phenomena, which no doubt is an absurdity in theory, but is becoming acceptable by the very abuses done by certain free software protagonists ?

In such case, free software is nothing more than unfair competition. The only attitude for companies is a firm boycott of such software.

We advocate a cooperative and multi disciplinary approach, in which experienced professionals would dissuade young programmers to participate in such projects, which are harmful to the reputation of free software as well as to the programming sector's viability in general.

For sure there is currently no shortage in original software writing opportunities. Did you notice how primitive our everyday software still is ? Here too, pertinent guidance would help young programmers to join or initiate innovative projects, rather than indulging in a destructive and non original endeavour.