Free software made it on laptops but IoT future is bleak

The biggest problem facing people interested in free and open source software is the lack of alternative firmware for IoT devices, president of the Software Freedom Conservancy Bradley Kuhn told Linux.conf.au in Christchurch on Friday. "So many devices now are digital, and so many devices now run Linux, so many devices now threaten our privacy, security, our very existence," Kuhn said. "And we need the source code for them to be able to solve all those problems -- we don't just need the source code, we need the ability to effectively use the source code, to recompile it, and install it." According to Kuhn, having the ability to tinker and replace the OS of devices is what made free software great in the first place, and the way to get people involved in a movement that could come to be dominated by large business-focused contributors.