Re: [wiki] [upstream] prefer Free Software over Open Source || Matthias-Christian Ott

From: Anselm R Garbe <garbeam_AT_gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 14 Sep 2008 09:47:17 +0100

2008/9/13 <hg_AT_suckless.org>:
> changeset: 150:2ddff06ec112
> parent: 147:29706da5c6bb
> user: Matthias-Christian Ott <ott_AT_enolink.de>
> date: Sat Sep 13 20:49:20 2008 +0200
> files: common/index.md
> description:
> prefer Free Software over Open Source
>
>
> diff -r 29706da5c6bb -r 2ddff06ec112 common/index.md
> --- a/common/index.md Wed Sep 10 11:42:59 2008 +0100
> +++ b/common/index.md Sat Sep 13 20:49:20 2008 +0200
> _AT_@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
> + }
> }
>
> -Many (open source) hackers are proud if they achieve large amounts of code,
> +Many (Free Software) hackers are proud if they achieve large amounts of code,
> because they believe the more lines of code they've written, the more progress
> they have made. The more progress they have made, the more skilled they are.
> This is simply a delusion.

I disagree here, since Free Software is an RMS term and pretty much
GNU related. I agree that most GNU/FS hackers are proud of large
chunks of code, but there are plenty open source projects as well with
the same problem.

Also in general the "Free Software" term is misleading, since it
doesn't describe the key nature of the software where "Open Source" is
a much better term. Personally I'd call it "Open Software", but this
term is not in wide use.

For normal people "free software" simply means, that it is for free
and doesn't cost anything. Open source makes no judges at all about
the price, but about the nature. I know that the "free" in free
software has a different meaning, but this meaning is as controversial
as RMS' interpretation of freedom.

That's why I keep the original term.

Kind regards,
Anselm
Received on Sun Sep 14 2008 - 10:47:17 CEST