Free Software Foundation Launches Campaign Against Windows 7

The Free Software Foundation has sent letters to Fortune 500 companies claiming that they will suffer from a “lack of privacy, freedom, and security” should they choose to upgrade to Windows 7 and instead encouraging them to adopt the GNU/Linux operating system and to adopt OpenOffice as an alternative to Microsoft Office. The executive director of the FSF, Peter Brown, has stated that

“Free software is about freedom, not price. Our growing dependence on computers and software requires our society to reevaluate its obsession with proprietary software that spies on citizens’ activities and limits their freedom to be in control of their computing. There is free software available right now for any activity you or your business needs, and it is better in the most important aspect — it respects your freedom.”

The FSF explains its position on the campaign’s website, windows7sins.org.

They claim the following:

• The use of Microsoft products at school teaches students to use Microsoft’s products, assisting Microsoft in creating a monopoly.
• Windows Genuine Advantage scans users’ hard drives and users must agree to this when using Windows.
• Microsoft has used its power to have Windows pre-installed on all computers.
• Users are forced to upgrade when they would otherwise not need to because new versions of Windows have increased hardware requirements and support for older versions of Windows and Microsoft Office ends.
• Microsoft does not implement open source formats, such as the OpenDocument Format, instead preferring closed-source formats such as the Microsoft Office Word format. They also claim that Microsoft has “engaged in underhanded behavior, including bribing officials, in an attempt to stop [the standardization of document formats].”
• DRM is used to restrict what media users are able to copy and play.
• Windows is plagued by viruses due to security vulnerabilities. Because Windows is closed source, users are dependent on Microsoft to fix these vulnerabilities.

[Image from gnu.org]