Use free licensing softwares to avoid piracy: US activist

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Press Trust of India Jaipur
Last Updated : Dec 15 2014 | 6:50 PM IST
Software freedom activist Richard Mathew Stallman today called for using "free licensing softwares" to avoid piracy of proprietary items, while launching an awareness campaign here.
"License free or open source software respects freedom. It does not relate with its price as one can use it with complete freedom by having control on its programmes," he said at a conference organised by Rajasthan Information Technology Organisation (RITO).
The 61-year-old American activist, known for launching the GNU project (a free software, mass collaboration project) stated that using license free software makes users capable of knowing what the program really does, what have to be changed and what they really want to do with the software.
In server organization in first semester of 2011 under free software, 17.5 per cent part of the Linux server form the total revenue, he said.
More than 90 per cent of supercomputing in the world is performed on open source. Many consumer products are working on open source. Operating systems of Apple products are also taken from open source, Stallman said.
"Whether to use license free software or proprietary software puts up ethical, social and political questions. There should be fundamental freedom of free software. Not to provide free software is injustice," he commented.
"If piracy of proprietary software is to be stopped then free software should be encouraged so that users can control the programmes and not the other way round," he said.
Tarun Taunk, President, RITO said that free software benefits those who are not capable of purchasing propreity software and do not require high technology software.
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First Published: Dec 15 2014 | 6:50 PM IST

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