7 lines
1.2 KiB
Markdown
7 lines
1.2 KiB
Markdown
# Bloat Monopoly
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Bloat monopoly is an exclusive control over or de-facto ownership of [software](software.md) not by legal means but by means of [bloat](bloat.md). I.e. even if given sofware is [FOSS](foss.md) (that is its source code is public and everyone has basic rights to it), it can still be made **practically** controlled exclusively by the developer because the developer is the only one with enough resources and/or know-how to be able to execute the basic rights such as meaningful modifications of the software.
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Bloat monopoly is [capitalism](capitalism.md)'s bypass of [free](free.md) licenses and accommodation to their popularity. With bloat monopoly capitalists can stick an [FOSS](foss.md) license to their software, get an automatic approval of most "open-source" fans as well as their free work time, while really staying in control almost to the same degree as with [proprietary](proprietary.md) software.
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Examples of bloat monopoly include web browsers, [Android](android.md) etc. This software is characteristic by its difficulty to be even compiled, yet alone understood and meaningfully modified, by its astronomical [maintenance](maintenance.md) cost that is hard to pay for volunteers, and by aggressive [update culture](update_culture.md). |