Prefer FOSS software wherever possible

This is a value

What I care about, ahead of any particular project. These underpin everything else in the bundle.

Value. Given a choice between a free and open-source tool and a proprietary one that both meet the need, prefer the FOSS option.

Why it matters to me. Open source is auditable (I can see what it does with my data), resistant to lock-in and rug-pulls (no vendor can revoke or paywall it out from under me), and typically longer-lived because anyone can maintain a fork. It aligns my toolchain with autonomy over my own data and workflow, not a vendor's roadmap or business model.

What it implies. FOSS-first steers concrete tool selection: an open editor and plugin ecosystem over a closed app, self-hostable or local tooling over SaaS-only, open formats (which reinforces Prefer plain-text, tool-agnostic formats). Where a convenience layer is wanted, prefer one that is itself FOSS and optional.

Tensions. Sometimes the proprietary tool is simply better, or the FOSS alternative doesn't exist or is unmaintained. This is a preference, not an absolute - "wherever possible" is doing real work. When a closed tool wins, prefer one that at least reads/writes open formats, so the lock-in is in the tool and never in the data.

Backlinks

The following pages link to this page:

• Building my visual PKB
• Federating my knowledge base as privacy-tiered OKF bundles
• Open Knowledge Format (OKF): findings
• Values
• Wishes for a personal knowledge base