A few years ago, at the height of my free software beliefs [1], I was having lunch with a co-worker who was also a free software proponent. He had a cache of license keys for some Microsoft software, and he was sharing them freely with anyone who asked.
"Man, don't do that," I said.
"Why?" he asked. "Screw Microsoft. We want them to lose, right?"
"Yeah, but you're not really helping free software. When you distribute closed source software for zero dollars, you're undercutting one of the advantages of free software."
"Maybe," he allowed, "but that's not what free software is really about. You're talking about free beer and I'm talking about free speech."
"I agree with that," I said, "but that distinction is lost on most people who aren't programmers. Even though we know it hinders them to own a car with the hood welded shut, they just don't see it. So when I talk to some guy's mom about free software[2] I try to use the free beer angle as the lead-in. I say 'you can get all these great programs for free' and she says 'I already get my stuff for free. My son put Windows on my computer for me.' Even when Redhat sells their Linux in boxes at the bookstore[3] they're charging way less than what Microsoft charges. But if everyone is pirating Windows and giving it away, that competitive angle is destroyed."
He said he'd think about it, but I'm pretty sure he went on pirating stuff.
[1] A belief which reached its peak, and has since declined.
[2] Yeah, I really used to do that. Sigh.
[3] Yeah, they really used to do that.
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