I created this thread in order to clarify any confusion that people may have about free software, the GNU licences, and why society cannot be free whenever users accept proprietary software. ITT, I will be using the GNU project's definition of free software. http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html

Proprietary software is designed to make users helpless. Without the liberty to run a program, a user is helpless. Without the right to the code, users can not help themselves whenever the program needs to be changed. The user MUST obtain the permission of the master of the program before the program can be changed to suit the user. This means that the user is no longer autonomous; the user not free to help themselves. Individuals need freedoms 0 and 1 in order to be free.

Proprietary software is designed to divide society. Society advances whenever communities cooperate with each other to further their standing. It is alright if members of society do not want to cooperate with others. It is not alright for a master to divide members of society that do want to cooperate by preventing them the right to share resources (such as information or tools) and preventing them the right to use those resources. Without the liberty to share programs, users cannot cooperate with their community; society is divided from helping each other. Society needs freedoms 2 and 3 in order to be free.

Society should not have to live helpless and divided but this is what happens whenever society accepts proprietary software. If all users had the four freedoms, then the GNU General Public License would be useless; nobody would be subject to helplessness or divided from their communities; there won't be any need to guarantee the four freedoms as everybody would already have the right to practise them. The reality is, people will subjugate other people into helplessness and division through software. Having the power to subjugate users is not a power worth protecting. The GPL guarantees that everyone has the right to live in freedom by removing the power to subjugate any user.

In conclusion, to accept any proprietary program means that you find it acceptable to give up your freedom and give to the master of the software. To accept any proprietary program means that you find it acceptable to trade away your freedom for convenience. You should get rid of all your proprietary programs if you wish to be free.