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http://www.fsf.org

"We maintain this free software definition to show clearly what must be true about a particular software program for it to be considered free software..."

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Created by can.axis 14 years 18 weeks ago – Made popular 14 years 18 weeks ago
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Balzac's picture

Balzac

14 years 18 weeks 4 days 15 hours ago

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I trust the FSF's Definition, but not the OSI's Definition.

The Open Source Initiative accepts bad licenses into the Open Source Definition.

That's one reason I always say "Free Software" and I never say "Open Source".

Some people may think this is not significant and that the terms "Free Software" and "Open Source" are close enough to be interchangeable terms, but they are not.

Some people prefer to be agreeable and popular, so they say "Open Source" and refer to GNU/Linux as just "Linux". Seeking to be agreeable or popular leads many people astray.

People who think they are being diplomatic or inclusive by calling free software "Open Source" are actually doing a disservice to the Free Software origin of the movement.

Here's a little background on the scheme to usurp the leadership of the Free Software movement:

Goodbye, "free software"; hello, "open source" - Eric Raymond
http://www.catb.org/~esr/open-source.html
"I've become convinced that the term has to go...The term makes a lot of corporate types nervous...We suggest that everywhere we as a culture have previously talked about "free software", the label should be changed to "open source". Open-source software. The open-source model. The open source culture." - Eric Steven Raymond

Creation of the Open Source Definition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Perens
On February 3, 1998, a group of people met at VA Linux Systems (without Perens) to discuss the promotion of Free Software to business from pragmatic terms, rather than the moral terms preferred by Richard Stallman.

History of the Open Source Initiative
http://www.opensource.org/history
The 'open source' label was invented at a strategy session held on February 3rd, 1998 in Palo Alto, California. The people present included Todd Anderson, Chris Peterson (of the Foresight Institute), John "maddog" Hall and Larry Augustin (both of Linux International), Sam Ockman (of the Silicon Valley Linux User's Group), Michael Tiemann, and Eric Raymond.

It's Time to Talk About Free Software Again - Bruce Perens
http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/1999/02/msg01641.html
I'm Bruce Perens. You may know me as the primary author of the Debian Free Software Guidelines and the Open Source Definition.
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About a year ago, I sent out a message announcing "Open Source". Eric Raymond and I founded the Open Source Initiative as a way of introducing the non-hacker world to Free Software. Well, thanks to Eric, the world noticed. And now it's time for the second stage: Now that the world is watching, it's time for us to start teaching them about Free Software. Notice, I said Free Software, _not_ Open Source.
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One of the unfortunate things about Open Source is that it overshadowed the Free Software Foundation's efforts.
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Sadly, as I've tended toward promotion of Free Software rather than Open Source, Eric Raymond seems to be losing his free software focus. The Open Source certification mark has already been abused in ways I find unconscionable and that I will not abide.

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