Comment Re:Rational decisions are relative to wants (Score 1) 439
Well then by your definition my Linux system contains spyware since it also checks for updates.
There are a few differences:
You can choose to prevent any software in your Linux system from updating, either individually or collectively. You can choose to prevent any software in your Linux system from "calling home" and/or sending data about you.
The updates you received are Open Source programs, and have been reviewed by a community of experts and users before being deployed.
Using Linux -or any other general use OS- lets you choose what programs to install or use. You can install paid-for software, open source software, or even create your own software, without being a prisoner in a walled garden where competition doesn't exist. If you are in the garden, everything is pretty, but you end up paying more and getting worse software, and your data and apps are used as hostages and can be remotely erased or blocked from you, at the whim of a private company.