FreeCompetitors/README.md

# Free Competitors

![Free Competitors Interface](screen_shot_01.png)

**Free Competitors** is an advanced server software that facilitates the discovery of open-source alternatives to proprietary software, enhancing user sovereignty over software choices. This platform also provides comparisons within the open-source ecosystem itself.

## Available Instances

- **Primary Web Instance**: [Visit Here](https://sudo.madiator.com/)
- **Tor Network Instance**: [Access via Tor](https://xhxcyntzwnbkdkpqqjmlsy7kmjgqubgtyghuh5yyd5j4ne54dbgdgkyd.onion/)

## Naming Rationale

While the term "Alternative" implies a parity between choices, and "Replacement" suggests a preference, "Competitor" is chosen to denote equality and challenge the norm of proprietary defaults. We encourage community input for more inclusive or accurate terminology.

## Licensing

**Free Competitors** is distributed under the AGPLv3 license or later, ensuring all modifications remain free and open. A straightforward mechanism is provided for users to comply with these terms through our source code publication feature. For detailed terms, please refer to the LICENSE file.

## Installation and Setup

### Requirements
- Python 3.x installed on your server

### Installation Steps
1. Obtain the latest version:
   ```
   git clone [repository-url]
   ```
2. Enter the project directory:
   ```
   cd free_competitors
   ```
3. Initiate the service:
   ```
   python3 server.py
   ```
   Adjust `config.json` as necessary to define the operational parameters of the service.

### Continuous Integration
Maintain your service with our auto-update script, which integrates the latest developments every five minutes:
```
import time
import os
while True:
    time.sleep(300)  # Checks for updates every 300 seconds
    os.system("git pull")  # Updates from the main branch
```

## Get Involved

Contributions to **Free Competitors** are highly valued. For those looking to contribute code, report bugs, or suggest features, please visit our GitHub issues page. Alternatively, engage with our developers directly on [Matrix](https://matrix.org) at `#freecompetitors:matrix.org`.