@chaskin.eth
Actually this "It makes you more capable without making someone else more powerful in the process" isn't quite right
If you buy a raspberry pi, you're obviously making the raspberry pi foundation more "powerful"
But once you own it, it's yours. You can install whatever you want, modify it, repair it, keep using it forever, and nobody can decide to take it away or change the rules on you. So the creator benefits, but the creator doesn't retain power over the user
What's the best way to describe that distinction in a way people will understand?