FSF calls on Microsoft to make Windows 7 open source

The Free Software Foundation is calling on Microsoft to “upcycle” Windows 7 and release the operating system as free software so that the open source community can customize the OS.

The Free Software Foundation reports that with Windows 7’s end-of-life status on January 14, “decades of poisoning education, invading privacy and threatening user security” came to an end. According to the foundation, the end of life could be the perfect opportunity for Microsoft to fix the mistakes of the past. The FSF refers to upcycling, the principle of giving outdated products a new, better life.

The FSF is calling on the Redmond software company to release Windows 7 as free software, giving the development community the opportunity to study, modify, and share the software. In addition, the organization insists on respecting users’ freedom and privacy and not forcing them to upgrade to the latest Windows version. Finally, the FSF wants more evidence that Microsoft really respects users and their freedom. The foundation has started a petition and wants 7777 signatories. More than 5,000 people have signed the petition at the time of writing.

Microsoft seems unlikely to comply with the proposal to release Windows 7 source code, but the FSF points out that there is some precedent, as Microsoft has already made certain Windows components available as free software. For example, Microsoft put the source code and binaries of the Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool online. Microsoft was also accused of using code from the gpl project ImageMaster for the tool without adhering to its terms.