Re: Open source - Free software
- From: Chris <ithinkiam@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 11:14:36 +0100
v4vijayakumar wrote:
I think the OP needs to clarify what /he/ meant by free software as
we seem to be reading his intentions differently.
To the OP when you say 'free software' to you mean free as in freedom
or free as in no cost?
Sorry, I never thought that there is more than one meaning for "open"
and "free". I meant "not open" by "free", because this is my problem
area.
This is the problem of the English language as free can mean both 'open'
and no cost :-( In other European languages the distinction is much
clearer. Hence, those terms are often borrowed: the term 'gratis' is
used to refer to no cost software and 'libre' to refer to open source
software.
Generally, people use the terms free and open interchangeably. However,
as someone else mentioned, freeware is something else. It is usually
not libre but it is gratis.
Proprietary software is also not open but they are not "free".
Proprietary software can be gratis, but cannot be libre.
By "open", I meant software that we have access to its source code.
Yes the term open is less prone to confusion.
Still, I think "open" and "free" mean the same way in "Open Software
Foundation" and "Free Software Foundation".
ITYM the Open Source Initiative? To many people open and free/libre mean
the same thing, but advocates of FSF and OSI often have a disagreement
over /exactly/ what it means. I think it comes down to licensing in the
end and the rights of the author.
If this is wrong, then,
could you please let me know the right questions to ask myself?
I don't know what the right question is? What is it you would like to
know?
.
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