At the weekend I spent a bit of time with the family. Normally we don’t talk about Linux, Ubuntu and Free Software much, but given my passion it can come up now and then. Sometimes I meet people who don’t know about my passion and they (foolishly sometimes) ask about it.
I was a little disappointed at the weekend because when asked why I didn’t use Windows someone in the family said “because he hates Bill Gates”. This made me sad for a number of reasons.
- The reason I use Linux, Ubuntu and Free Software is because I believe software should be free to use. I believe that I should be able to use my own computer without a software vendor restricting me.
- The person who thought I only run Ubuntu because I “hate Bill Gates” clearly doesn’t appreciate why I don’t run windows. Maybe a little subtle education is required there.
- I don’t hate Bill Gates, I find the business practices of his company distasteful and dislike many of their badly flawed products, but I’m sure he’s just a regular guy like everyone else.
There are of course many other reasons I use free and open software, but at a family event I didn’t want to beat the drum too much – it can make people feel uneasy.
