Do you ever buy proprietary software?

[debil]

Great post, oswaldkelso.

I'm a Political Mostly Free guy myself. OTOH, I do buy a game or two every year for my game console. But computer-wise, the last proprietary software I've bought was in the mid-80's when I still had a ZX Spectrum 48K. The game was called "Thing Bounces Back".

[adenukolnis]

Do you ever buy proprietary software?

hell no...dont usually bother with the no charge proprietary software either

[ghostblader]

I often buy proprietary console games , because since there is no free as in freedom software for PS3 yet I have to.
As far as it concerns my computer , the only proprietary software I use is flashplugin and nvidia drivers so no , I do not buy proprietary software for my computer.

[Ibidem]

I've done so twice: the OEM installs of XP and Windows 7 on my two laptops.
I've considered buying a few programs (Office, Softmaker Office, and-um-I thought there was something else?), but never found them worth the bother...
Now on the other hand, I've used a bit of nonfree software: Catalyst, because my laptop was overheating with the Free drivers, and I use non-Free firmware without hesitation, and Madwifi-hal (the least free version of madwifi) on my 'other' laptop because no free driver gives me a usable connection, and OpenMotif, and several other such things...
I care about several factors:
1: Is what it does worth getting/installing it?
If I have to go purchase it, usually this turns out to be "No!"
2. Can I modify it and distribute modifications?
For me, OpenMotif is the near side of "acceptable license"; I'm not as concerned about every OS, as long as any OS I'm likely to willfully use counts (if it were "closed-source kernel only", it might as well not exist...)
2a. If not, is it necessary or the only viable option?
I'll install Flash because some knuckleheads decided that XYZ should be done that way, and I can't pass courses without using XYZ, though I hate flash and would spend an hour uninstalling it given the option.
3. If I'm still considering closed source, is it single-seat or multi-seat licensing?
Softmaker Office is 3 computers, while MS Office is 1...that's a tip towards Softmaker Office, but it's not enough to outweigh the adequacy of the features I get in Ted, Abiword, and LibreOffice.

But on the topic of Free vs. non-Free software:
It strikes me that free should be

Code: Select all

typedef float free;

, not

Code: Select all

typedef bool free;

In other words, I'm not sure that "It's Free or it isn't" represents reality adequately. To say that Cubase or some program that won't run without a dongle and OpenMotif ("do what you want and don't blame us, but you can't distribute this for closed-source kernels") are equally not free is rather hard to defend, and it seems that 4-clause BSD and CDDL, while strictly speaking Free, aren't on an equal footing with MIT or public domain.