[aethertron]

Here's another old argument from Stallman against using nonfree software, not addressed in the blog post:

https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/why-free.en.html

> As a computer user today, you may find yourself using a proprietary program. If your friend asks to make a copy, it would be wrong to refuse. Cooperation is more important than copyright. But underground, closet cooperation does not make for a good society. A person should aspire to live an upright life openly with pride, and this means saying no to proprietary software.

I don't agree that refusing to copy the program would be wrong. "Cooperation is more important than copyright" is a nice slogan. But copyright IS a form of cooperation. In the situation described, you have to choose between cooperating with your friend and cooperating with the software vendor. Stallman is right to point out that it puts one in an ethical bind, and a way to avoid that is to avoid proprietary software. He argues (elsewhere) that the act of offering proprietary software is really bad, because it erodes society's most precious resource, goodwill.

As for me, I have a fondness for the FOSS subculture, and a preference for free software, ceteris paribus. I use a mixture of free and nonfree software because I have other more pressing concerns, like choosing the best technological choice for the job, and ease of use, and making money.

[ruskerdax]

Copyright is not a form of cooperation. It is a threat. If you copy something without permission, you risk retaliation that is, ultimately, backed by violent force. It is hardly honest to call something "cooperation" under these circumstances.

[type0]

Proprietary software can be downright dangerous if you tightly integrate it in your work and the vendor suddenly goes away or shuts down the software. But this has nothing to do with copyright, Software Freedom Conservancy defends GPL for the copyright holders that they represent.

The biggest issue with proprietary software is the unbalanced relationship with the vendor that it implies.

[marssaxman]

One might speak of "cooperating with the hijackers", or even more commonly one might refer to "cooperating with police officers", even though such cooperation in both cases has been compelled by threat of force. Cooperation would ideally always be a consensual collaboration but common usage of the word would not seem to require it.