Free Software. Technology Essay, approach by Richard Stallman

Free Software
Name
Institution/ Affiliation
Free software
Free software is a vital element that supports learning and information sharing among individuals across the world. According to Stallman (2019), free software is a program whose source code has been made publicly available by its copyright holder. In its true form, free software is developed collaboratively and other programmers can modify source codes to suit their own needs. Unlike proprietary software that have sharing and modification limitations, free software allows users to run the software as they desire, for any purpose (Rappaport, 2018). Besides, individuals can redistribute the original as well as modified copies with others (Söderberg, 2015).
The significance of open source software is not limited to technology but also incorporates other aspects of life. Typically, free software creates a platform where people from diverse backgrounds can contribute to a common goal. The idea of transparency and cooperation places power and control on people as well as encouraging them to offer solutions on the common platforms (Söderberg, 2015). Therefore, having access to the source is an effective way to solve common social problems.
In reality, most of the successful organisation across the world can be associated with open-source programs to a certain extent. For instance, Google android mobile operating system and Firefox browser are entirely based on open-source software. These platforms offer better life experiences to the low medium and low who would rarely afford most of the software. Moreover, the flexibility of free software helps in reducing expenses as well as hastens the growth of projects as compared to closed models (Rappaport, 2018).
Furthermore, free software is considered to be of high quality. Usually, the high level o...