How helpful is the $3 software?

Microsoft releases a $3 version of Windows® and Office® for students in developing countries. This sounds like a helpful move. Can we pause and reflect for a moment?

• All versions of Windows are fundamentally restricted. Whichever price you pay for your version, you cannot own it. Disassembling, examining, building upon, or simply copying the software is illegal.
• Surely, providing "Unlimited Potential" to "empower students and teachers" must mean giving them choice, the means to use their knowledge and work on the platforms they choose. So probably not with software from a company that keeps focused on proprietary formats and protocols.
• The software can be $20, $3, or $0: what really matters is the freedom users have. How useful would a $3 math book be, if teachers weren't allowed to build lessons upon it, or if no-one was able to check the content?

Cheapness isn't freedom. Users can be trusted – Free software gives anyone great tools to learn, create and work. It's safe, easy, and features commercial support without vendor dependency.

Free software powers the One Laptop Per Child, the majority of Internet web servers, and millions of personal computers around the world.