I went to Software Freedom Day yesterday.
I thought I was just going to learn about computers and code. But I learned about freedom. It’s strange how much of our world is built on software, and how little we know about it.
So I listened to the people who build these tools.
They talked about software that is open for everyone to see, to share, and to change. They called it freedom. It’s a simple idea that completely changes how you see the world. It’s about people building things together, for each other.
And as someone in this industry, it’s scary to realize that I’ve been taking my tools for granted. I’m like a musician who masters an instrument without ever considering the craftspeople who built it. I focused on what the code could do, but ignored the principles it stood for and the human effort that made it free for everyone.
Now I understand why it matters so much. Technology can be a tool that serves people’s needs, or a tool that exploits their wants. It can be built by a community for the public good or by a corporation for its own benefit. One path gives us power. The other takes it away.
Once you see that choice, it’s impossible to unsee. It stops being about code and starts being about who has the power. You see it in the newsfeed that chooses what you read and the apps that track where you go. This concept of freedom becomes personal now, changing how you value your own choices, your own time.
You realize it’s a quiet choice being made every day, one that subtly reminds you that you’re no longer just watching from the sidelines.
And now, I’m left with a thought I can’t shake:
Knowing is one thing. Doing is another.
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