The Free Software Foundation (FSF) sent Microsoft developers an empty HDD, asking company to write the Windows 7 source code.
At the end of January 2020, in connection with the termination of support for Windows 7, the Free Software Foundation published an open letter and a petition calling on Microsoft to make Windows 7 free software and open its source codes.
“With the end of OS support, may come the end of a many-year invasion of privacy and a threat to user safety, and Microsoft now has a great chance to fix past mistakes”, – wrote the FSF representatives.
The fund invited the company to share Windows 7 with the community for further study and improvement, recalling that there were already precedents for the release of some of the main Windows utilities as free software (in particular, were opened the source codes of the “Calculator” tool).
Now FSF representatives said that their petition related to the proposal to Microsoft was supported by more than the planned 7,777 people. The fund appreciated users’ support.
The FSF acknowledges that this campaign was for the goo reason called Don Quixote and even “completely delusional,” but emphasizes that most critics still recognize the “pragmatic idealism” underlying this message.
Now, continuing its action, the Free Software Foundation sent to Microsoft developers a blank hard disk and signatures collected during the campaign.
“Microsoft may free Windows. They have all the necessary legal rights or levers necessary to obtain them. Regardless of whether they do it or not, it is up to them to decide. In recent weeks, we have made it clear that thousands of people around the world want Windows to be free. Now we will give them a tool”, – wrote FSF representatives and emphasized that they are ready to provide the company with any assistance that is needed. – “We want them to demonstrate how much they love the open source software that they often mention in their ads.”
If Microsoft really loves free software (FSF representatives are ready to believe them in this matter), then the company has the opportunity to show it to the world. The FSF hopes that Microsoft is not just benefiting from the free software development model in the most superficial and exploitative way possible: using it as a marketing tool to make us feel like they care about our freedom.
The cost of such support is from 25 to 200 dollars per workstation, depending on the version of the OS (Enterprise or Pro), as well as the time during which the company needs updates.
