One reason why you should use free and open source software
,----[ Quote ]
| With a free program, you can be sure that no one company can take away
| your right to use the software, or suddenly decide you're not allowed
| to use it for something.
|
| Take this example - one company have released a really great program
| for making 3D drawings. They let you use it for no cost, but you don't
| get the source code and the licence doesn?t give you the above freedoms.
|
| Suddenly, this company gets bought by a larger, and on the whole,
| nastier company. The new management decide to commercialise the
| product, but they also revoke everyone?s right to use the old
| software. You have all your 3D drawings saved in this program's
| format, and now you can?t get your data back out of the program
| without buying it.
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http://fosswire.com/2007/03/10/one-reason-why-you-should-use-free-and-open-source-software/
Related:
our data or your life
,----[ Quote ]
| As unlikely and alarmist as this sounds, it could really happen. Intracare
| is the publisher of a popular practice management system called Dr. Notes.
| When some doctors balked at a drastic increase in their annual software
| lease, they were cut off from accessing their own patients? information.
|
| This situation is completely unconscionable. There can be no truly
| open doctor-patient relationship when an unrelated third party is the
| de facto owner of and gatekeeper to all related data.
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http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/node/1709
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