It allows as free versions of apps to be economically viable and compete with others. It helps users because they don't need to be spied on and shown ads to fund the development of the app.
replyThe existence of an app brings users value, else they wouldn't use it.
Recruiting your users' systems into a botnet is not an acceptable way to make an app "economically viable" any more than, say, installing a rootkit on their systems.
replythe fsf has never really been concerned with commercial viability. They're the worst audience for this sort of argument.
replyand I doubt these apps are really Free versions - do they support user modifications and access to the code? If they did support the four freedoms maybe the fsf would have something positive to say to balance it out?