Why Whonix ™ will always be Free as in Price as well as in Freedom
From Whonix
(Redirected from Freedom Software)
Table: Why Whonix ™ is Freedom Software
| Motivation | Rationale |
|---|---|
| Security | Open Source software [archive] like Qubes, Linux [archive] and Whonix ™ [archive] is more secure than closed source [archive] software. The public scrutiny of security by design [archive] has proven to be superior to security through obscurity [archive]. This aligns the software development process with Kerckhoffs' principle [archive] - the basis of modern cipher [archive]-systems design. This principle asserts that systems must be secure, even if the adversary knows everything about how they work. Generally speaking, Freedom Software projects are much more open and respectful of the privacy rights of users. Freedom Software projects also encourage security bug reports, open discussion, public fixes and review. |
| Legal | Whonix ™ is based on Freedom Software [archive]. A lot of Libre licensed software prohibits modification and distribution without sharing the modified source code. |
| Ethics | Whonix ™ developers believe it is immoral to benefit from those Free [archive]/Freedom Software components and give back nothing. We stand on the shoulders of giants - Whonix ™ and many other Libre software projects are only made possible because people invested in writing code that is kept accessible for the public benefit. |
| Community | It is rewarding and enjoyable to have all types of people contributing. This works best in Open Source [archive] projects. |
| Impact | When free in price, Whonix ™ can spread faster than commercial tools that cannot provide anonymity or privacy by design. |
| Commerce | Developers hope to make a living from Whonix ™ by selling additional services. (Priority Support | Professional Support) |
| Career | Our experience volunteering on this project improves our skill set and makes us more valuable employees. |
No Intentional User Freedom Restrictions
No Intentional User Freedom Restrictions[edit]
In the spirit of Freedom Software, Whonix ™ does not intentionally restrict user freedoms. Whonix ™ documentation might discourage certain configurations, but ultimately the user is free to ignore such advice.
In their default state, programs developed under the Whonix ™ banner may afford additional protection against unsafe user configurations. For example, users are unable to start Tor Browser in Qubes' DisposableVM Template since this is a known anonymity risk and recommended against, but documentation is still provided on how to disable this security mechanism.
Whonix ™ is based on Debian. A valid viewpoint is, that Whonix ™ is a very specific configuration of Debian. As such, the technical implementation of Whonix ™ can be independently replicate by any advanced user of Debian. Therefore anything Whonix ™ pre-configured can be re-configured or de-configured by the user without restrictions. There are no technologies used inside Whonix ™ attempting to prevent user customization. No configuration of Whonix ™ is intentionally obfuscated.
Simply put, the end user maintains ultimate control over the final Whonix ™ configuration best suited to their needs.
See Also[edit]
- Why Whonix ™ will always be Free as in Price as well as in Freedom
- Miscellaneous Threats to User Freedom
- Whonix ™ Policy on Non-Freedom Software
Table of Contents[edit]
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