[tzs]

> Do your text editing with your copy of a free text editor such as GNU Emacs or a free word processor. Do your photo editing with your copy of free software such as GIMP. What if there is no free program available? A proprietary program or SaaSS would take away your freedom, so you shouldn't use those. You can contribute your time or your money to development of a free replacement.

There are many kinds of freedom.

If I'm spending hours or days trying to get some inadequate free program to accomplish some task I need, or trying to work around the lack of a free program in that area at all, when there is a proprietary program that will quickly accomplish my task, NOT using the proprietary program takes away freedom. It enslaves me to spending hours on that task when I could be doing something I would enjoy more.

If it is a task that will be ongoing as opposed to a one shot, and so I might have some concern about getting locked into something, freedom maximizing would probably involve a mixed approach: use the proprietary tool, and toss in some monetary support toward some free software project working in that area.

[vipstarry]

In the case of Stallman's free software, the most important of freedoms are four specific forms: The freedom to run the program as you wish, for any purpose (freedom 0). The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish (freedom 1). The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor (freedom 2). The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others (freedom 3).

The "freedom to get things done quickly" is a shallow freedom that leads users into a life of helpless servitude and social division. The reason this happens is because there are many people who write proprietary software which will help users do powerful things but the software will also have various restrictions that result in helpless servitude and social division. Stallman teaches that users who choose to accept these proprietary software with the restrictions cannot live in freedom as users are forbidden to control the proprietary software, the control over the software belongs to the owner of the proprietary software.