>>12
Although the underlying tenants of free software have little basis in reality, having some sort of ideal to shoot for is what makes the world interesting.
This isn't to say one ought to be militant and paint the world in your image.
But after being drenched in practicality for quite some time, most things don't have a tune. The music stopped. It's all noise.
Idealism is a hearth to a meaningful reality, and that is why I've respect for the free software advocates. Crito comes to mind.
A respect, even if they may find themselves naively in despair over inevitability. May they prove us all wrong.