Why Libertarians Should Celebrate Free Software

“I still shop at a commercial grocery store. But I also think my
criticism of the co–op was a little bit off base. There’s no
reason that libertarians should object to shopping at a
co–op. Some people simply believe that the intangible
benefits of a less commercialized shopping experience are worth the
costs. It’s a peaceful, voluntary form of social organization, and
as long as no one is forced to shop there, there’s no reason
libertarians should object.

“Some libertarians seem to have developed a similar
knee–jerk reaction against free software. Free software is
produced through the cooperation of volunteers without anyone
receiving exclusive rights in the finished product. This
volunteerism has produced such widely used software as the Linux
operating system, the Apache web server, and the Firefox web
browser…”

Complete
Story