Thanks. Cheering up is definitely what I need now

Of course I am! I admit that I came from the viewpoint of a slight misconception and was reacting to that. My view on all that "free software" bulls**t was that it was about your freedom to do what you will with it. Use it, copy it, modify it, whatever. The software itself is a thing, what freedom can it have?

My choice of bricks as an example was not random: bricks are most commonly used as building blocks for something else. You buy a brick and you can use it for whatever you like (OK, there are restrictions, you cannot smash someone's head with one without facing consequences).

In contrast, Stallman's idea is that you cannot use a brick for building just anything. You can only use it if all the other bricks are made from the same earth and you also publish a complete blueprint of the building including all the wiring, plumbing and furniture, all of which has nothing to do with the brick. That is not freedom, that is dictatorship.

I do not see how the brick's personal freedom comes into this.