Chapter 14. How Much Freedom Do You Want?

Bruno Souza

"Free as in freedom" has been used many times to express the objectives of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). Although the Free Software Foundation (FSF) has created a very precise definition of what "free" is with respect to software, freedom itself is one of those difficult things to define and agree on, especially since freedom always assumes some form of compromise. "Your Freedom cannot be so broad as to negate someone else's Freedom" is a common saying. And when we talk about freedom in software, it is normal to have different views on what it is and how it is achieved.

The notion of free software was born in the United States, from inside the software development community. Long before the birth of free software, collaboration among developers from different companies and universities was the norm. Once software started to be seen as a company asset, barriers were built to protect these assets, and it became increasingly harder for developers to collaborate on and share code. Better ways to facilitate and guarantee the necessary collaboration were needed. Free software, and later open source software, allowed this to happen: across company boundaries, via the Internet,and between people that didn't even know each other.

Most of the software in the world today is (or was) developed in the United States, but software development itself is a borderless activity. It happens everywhere. And although many have tried to apply software development in a repetitive "factory-like" format, it fortunately is still largely a creative activity that favors the best and insightful developers no matter where they are.

The Internet has put these developers in touch, connecting people and cultures without the same background as the FOSS movement's original history. Also, other ways of limiting freedom are affecting the ability of governments to reach their sovereignty and users and companies to decide their own technology future. Now, developers that believe in freedom in every country are trying to adapt and expand the ideas of the FOSS movement, to map to their needs and realities, and even to apply them in their legal systems.

The diversity of collaboration that resulted from FOSS is one of the greatest achievements of developers in the last several years. Discussing how the ideas and philosophy are being applied by diverse governments, companies, and cultures will strengthen freedom for everybody.