Do you use/support any freeware (note: Closed-source)
 

Hi all,

Haven't posted in a while and thought this would be an interesting topic. I've just installed Ubuntu 9.04 RC on my computer (loving it, by the way :)). This time, also for a change, I went with x86_64.

Most of the things I need work fine. The few applications that no longer work are closed-source applications.

I've noticed that, some freeware (non-open source) applications are of extremely high quality. In some cases, they are miles away better than some open-source'd applications around.

The problem is, well, when they die (no longer being updated), there is very little we can do to save them without the source being available. Right now, I am struggling to get a descent PSX emulator to run. All projects seems to have stopped. The only one working and being updated is psX, but that is closed source. And in all fairness, I don't trust it. The first issue, no x64 release. The second, there is no guarantee that this project will exist in one year or two.

I can understand some applications being freeware, but still closed source, such as Skype or iTunes, because well, they are more like stores where you buy services from. Again, I don't agree with them, I just understand it.

But why some applications, such as the great text editor PSPad for Windows and a few console emulators are kept closed-source.

Can anyone please enlighten me and show me a few reasons why a text editor or a console emulator are kept closed source? Or can you give me an example of an application you wrote/may write would go closed-source.

I see a lot of applications out there with lots of potential, but the closed source approach is really what is stopping me to use them.
Again, I understand some applications being closed source, such as iTunes, which is nothing but a portal for Apple to sell stuff.

What are your views about closed source applications? Do you use any? wWhich ones? Do you or Would you support them? (donating or otherwise).

My feelings today: I am not going to use any freeware, closed source application, unless I absolutely have to. Reason: There is not guarantee the project will exist in the future, so I can't rely on them.

Thanks everyone for reading this.

The only free as in beer but not as in speech code I run is the nvidia driver and flash.

One problem with shareware & freeware is you need to be wary of trojan code. It was a popular freeware app that introduced spyware. It didn't steal credit card numbers may have gathered information on the user to add to a mailing list that the authors sold for money.

Another problem even if the program isn't dead is that no one can audit the code for security problems. It may use a library that has a vulnerability. For freeware, the author may not take the time to rebuild the software.

Don't believe the Mexican Al Qaeda space pirate propaganda. Most trojans come from commercial software, not freeware, shareware or OSS.

So for only the nvidia driver (I got rid of flash). I use skype on my laptop. Hopefully that will change at one point.

Everything else is FLOSS or a few games such as UT2004, Quake 4, ETQW (no longer installed) etc.

IMHO your head is screwed on straight. Unfortunately most people think the more expensive something is the better it is. "You get what you pay for", right? So if it's "free" (as in crack and heroine, not that evil beer stuff) there must be something wrong with it.

As we say in Oldham: "Thurz allas sumbdy after summat fer nowt."

Thanks everyone for the replies. I can see we use similar closed-source applications. Me:

- Skype;
- Nvidia drivers;
- Flash;

I am curious about what H_TeXMeX_H uses instead of flash. Nothing at all or some open source alternative? I tried Gnash a while ago, it did not work for me so well. Maybe it is better now :)

If my laptop was not a few months old, I'd consider a new machine with ATI, just to use the open-sourced drivers. Not sure how good they are by now, but Nvidia has a few bugs annoying me with dual view for now.

And I simply quit playing games on PC. Enough is enough. I can't stand some of the licenses being used in new games, so I am an exclusive console gamer now, except for console emulators.

I think I've used open source all my life. A few months ago, I did not care at all if the program was closed source, open source, freeware, shareware, whatever. I just used them. I'm changing my attitude towards that because, well, I am tired of applications dying because they no longer feel like updating it, nagging you to register, bundled with spyware or some other nasty thing, making you use your e-mail in order to activate it, etc.

I don't mind paying for applications if the source is available though. Just to clear that up.

Who would thought I'd go hardcore (or on my way to do so) with FOSS one day. Oh well, we all change I suppose :)

I tried Gnash recently on Debian - not happy with it yet.