I'm really appreciating this idea on FOSS from my colleague @bwag—not just "free as in speech" or "free as in beer" but "free as in way." Increasingly, that is, FOSS acts like a freeway.
https://bowaggoner.com/blahg/2024/03-13-free-as-in-way/
It is infrastructure for business—free for all, but a means of profit for some. And that affects how we should build economies around it.
I agree with you.
But why emphasize "economies" in this way? Do we talk about books like this?
Practical benefits have to flow from the ethical ones or else we're in danger of playing a game where economy is on top of freedom. See China: in the 1990s there was thought that democracy would follow capitalism. But no. You can have capitalism with no Freedom.
This book https://cloudempires.org/ is pretty good about this issue (though doesn't discuss FOSS directly)
@jamienk You don't have freeways without having an appropriate way to pay for them. Similarly, I think it matters how we pay for FOSS freeways—especially if we want to ensure that they don't become captured by those who currently pay for them.
@ntnsndr Wait, I read the link :)
Strongly disagree "proprietary-layered-on-free" - this is parasitism. Economic opportunities from FS come from other things: hardware, services, etc.
Layered-on-free recreates the problems of proprietary: lock-in, embrace extend extinguish, etc.
"the situation today is more nuanced" - no. It's WORSE today - big players more & more underhanded: manipulate LAWS to protect (bad) advantages, Spend $ on PROPAGANDA that's self-serving & DUMB.