this post was submitted on 27 Feb 2022
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Linux
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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To a certain extent, yes. But if you think about hardware, we are very far from having control. Even my highly niche distro, Parabola GNU/Linux-libre, which is one of the few distros accepted by the FSF for the promotion and use of free software, still is obligated by the circumstances to leave proprietary code related to some Intel processors microcode. Even FSF accepted distros have to allow things like this related to hardware, otherwise their system would be unusable.
But yes, Linux laid down a very solid framework to develop alternatives to corporate control of your software. However...
Even if you don't see "capitalist control" of your life, it still exists irrespective of your knowledge of it. Everything you need to fulfill your existence is a commodity, and to buy these goods, you need money. If you have no properties, to earn money you either steal it, or you sell yourself (your labor, your life) to a small or large capitalist in exchange for money.
Capitalists achieved monopolies on the internet, such as Meta, Inc., Google, Reddit, Twitter, etc.. They've all become propaganda networks of the United States bourgeoisie. These corporate monopolies share a similar business model: to earn money through advertising and capitalist propaganda. The selling of commodities tailored to your interests based on an algorithmical profile description, and the push of narratives usually following the interests of the imperialist bourgeoisie.
Irrespective of your decision not use these platforms, your family members do, your friends do, your colleagues do, even your cousin's three year old infant has an Instagram profile nowadays. Considering all of this, I think you'll agree with me that we can't escape capitalist control by changing our distros, but I agree with you that it's a healthy direction to use free software.
Ok, but it's different in the way that before you HAD to use these platforms, now you don't have to. The transformative power free software had in me is that I saw a community where the priority isn't making something that will please the market or that will be beneficial to everyone (as in, I make profit out of it giving you the boon of software applications). This community doesn't care about that. Even if there are discussions about what kind of software would be good for society and companies, there are many applications that are out there because the devs think they should be.
Example: ots (open text summarizer) is FOSS and does the exact same thing that profit driven websites that summarize books and texts, with the difference that the profit driven ones reinforce that they are just doing it for the money or because they had a "brilliant" idea that needs to prosper, while ots is just there as a service to the community, something someone wanted to make that they thought would be useful.
Being introduced to this niche made me think: "Wow, this is actually possible." and try to thrive in this context (as a programmer and as a servicer to society in general). I know community driven things comes before software or even computers, but this was what gave me release from thinking that everything must be profit driven. That's what I meant by getting released from capitalist control - I don't think profit is necessary anymore. It's just a concept that mainstream media and overall political and corporate culture pushes on us daily to believe.
Heck, I'm going through my undergraduate course and every single professor talks about how profit and making software for profit is good. How the Big Tech companies are awesome. It's hell, but it's worth it.