The problem is that often (not always), proprietary software is just better than any free equivalent. I will gladly sacrifice some freedom to gain quality.
Yeah, there are a few areas where free software gets killed by the proprietary alternatives. I've been waiting for free mechanical CAD and PCB layout software to appear for years. The best free alternatives (Blender, sort of? Kicad? gEDA?) are still relatively weak compared to, say, Solidworks and Altium Designer.
I guess I'd say that I'll unhappily sacrifice some freedom to gain quality.
I don't have to know how something is done for it to be worth paying to have it done.
I'm not sure freedom is what one gives up in this situation. It seems more like giving up control. And one has to do that in life just to be able to delegate tasks to others.
Is it really freedom being given up or freedom obtained by freeing up one's time to do things you value more than examining the code for the microprocessor that makes your clock radio work?
And its freedom that makes it possible for one person to offer the work of their minds to others without having to disclose everything about how it is that they are capable of doing it.
We are free to make such a deal and then later if we choose another alternative. There is no loss of freedom at any point, just the exercise of one's freedom.
I guess I'd say that I'll unhappily sacrifice some freedom to gain quality.