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I share the results of the latest survey. It is interesting to see what they answered and to draw some preliminary conclusions. Viruses, cracks and serials, crashes and other technical flaws are among the first places; But, there are also strong "ethical" reasons, which I would say are rather "political" (in the good sense of the word). |
The results of the previous survey: why did you decide to abandon Windows?
| COUNT | PERCENT | |
|---|---|---|
|
I was attracted to the philosophy of free software |
491 | 18.27 % |
|
I am sick of viruses, malware, Trojans, etc. |
451 | 16.78 % |
|
I'm tired of "committing a crime": bye cheat programs, cracks, serials, etc. |
375 | 13.96 % |
|
I want to learn more about computing |
314 | 11.69 % |
|
It is very unstable: it hangs every 2 x 3 |
284 | 10.57 % |
|
I have become an anti-imperialist at all costs: down with the monopolies! |
201 | 7.48 % |
|
I can't do "X thing" with Windows. |
172 | 6.4 % |
|
My machine is old: Win uses too many resources |
141 | 5.25 % |
|
Microsoft doesn't offer free support, and neither do many of the Win programs. |
124 | 4.61 % |
|
I can't keep paying exorbitant amounts for the software. |
104 | 3.87 % |
|
Other answer… |
30 | 1.12 % |
My conclusion is
Moving to Linux is part of a release process
Despite the technical advantages that Linux can offer, it is clearly the freedom it offers that attracts users the most. This is not a mere technical option: those who decide to switch to Linux and abandon Windows do so not only because of "fed up" with its enormous technical shortcomings (especially those related to performance and system security); Above all, it is a process of liberation. In that sense, it seems to me that this survey agrees with the many times beaten Richard Stallman when he argues that the concept of "open-source software" does not let us see the most important thing: the 4 freedoms it offers the "free software". These freedoms are of vital importance. They are essential, not only for the good of the individual user, but also for society as a whole since they promote social solidarity: sharing and cooperation. These freedoms become even more important as our culture and activities of daily life become more and more digital.
For a more detailed analysis of the differences between "free software" and "open source software", I recommend reading this post.