Corfy's Corner My little corner of the web.

Everyone is familiar with cars. Whether you are a car buff who can take an engine completely apart and put it back together or a casual driver who just wants to run to the store now and then, cars are everywhere. Let me make a proposal to you.

Let's say there is a new car company out there, and they want you to buy their cars. And boy do they have a deal for you.

The cost of their cars aren't any lower than the competition. In fact, it might be a little higher. Their miles per gallon aren't any higher, in fact, it might be a little lower. The horsepower may not be higher, in fact, it might be a little lower. However, they do have some of the nicest looking cars on the road.

But in order to buy the car, you have to sign an agreement. This agreement has many different clauses. First, you are only allowed to visit certain gas stations to fill up your gas. Granted, the list is large. But your favorite gas station isn't on the list. It isn't that the gas from the other stations won't work in your vehicle, you are just forbidden from using it.

Second, you are only allowed to take the car either to the dealership or to approved mechanics to work on it. This includes basic maintenance such as oil changes. You are not allowed to work on the vehicle yourself, and you are not allowed to use a friend who knows about cars, and you are not allowed to use another mechanic. It isn't that only approved mechanics know how to work on your floor, you are just forbidden to use anyone else.

Third, you are prohibited from opening the hood of your vehicle. Only authorized mechanics are allowed to open the hood.

Fourth, you are prohibited from putting any non-approved bumper stickers on the car. The list of approved bumper stickers is large, and you can get the bumper stickers anywhere you want, but if they aren't on the list, you are forbidden to put them on your vehicle. It isn't that other bumper stickers won't stick on your vehicle, it is that the car company doesn't want their vehicles to have those stickers on them.

If you violate any of these rules, from using the wrong gas station to putting the wrong bumper sticker on your car, the agreement says the company has the right to come back and take your vehicle without any compensation to you. You may have the car for 10 years and have it long paid for, but if you use the wrong gas station, they can come and take your car.

I may be wrong, but I would think that most people would stay far away from such a car company. I know I would.

When it comes to computers, however, this is the norm. People seem to have no problem agreeing to contracts with some really limiting restrictions. The “End User Licensing Agreement” or “EULA” often contains some very limiting stipulations.

Some makes some sense. After all, if you are going to buy a program for $700, the company wants to make sure that you have to buy a separate copy for each computer.

Other restrictions don't make quite as much sense. Some programs that may cost $150 are only allowed to be used for personal use, not business use. But what qualifies as business use? Is taking you work home a business use? Is making a flyer for a garage sale a business use?

And breaking any of the restrictions could result in you no longer being able to use the software, or worse, a fine of up to $125,000. And if you think that can't happen to you, I suggest you check your EULA again.

Wouldn't it be better to not worry about such restrictions? I don't mean you should ignore the EULA and use the software however you want. That is illegal, and I won't and can't condone that activity. Rather, you should look for alternatives that don't restrict you.

That is what Software Freedom Day is all about. There are a surprisingly high number of software programs out there that you can use without restrictions. All you have to do is look for them.

Software Freedom Day is an annual event on the third Saturday of September, which this year happens to fall on September 19. It is a day used to spread the word about Free and Open Source Software. This software is everywhere, but you might have to look for it. After all, most of these programs don't have much of an advertising budget, but that doesn't mean they aren't worth looking at.

You might start with VLC Player to play video files on your computer, or Firefox to browse the web, or OpenOffice.org to do word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and graphics, or GIMP for photo editing. If you are really adventurous, you might try an operating system. My personal favorite is Ubuntu, a Linux (or GNU/Linux) based operating system, but there are lots of them out there. These are programs that work on protecting your freedoms (hence the phrase “free as in free speech, not free as in free beer”).

BTW, this list doesn't come anywhere close to scratching the surface. There are thousands of programs out there. Don't be afraid to look.

This Saturday, if you spend any time on your computer at all, give software freedom a try. And feel free to help spread the word about Software Freedom Day.

And while I'm at it, the 7th annual Ohio LinuxFest is fast approaching (Sept. 25-27), and will be at the Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio. Registration is free. This will be my fourth year attending.