Raymond <ray.l.riv...@gmail.com> writes: > I noticed the following statement in the introduction of your about > page:
> "In February 1998 a group moved to replace the term "Free Software > <http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw>" with "Open Source Software > <http://opensource.org/docs/definition.html>". They both refer to > essentially the same thing." For those who, like me, had difficulty finding this, it's: https://www.debian.org/intro/free at the top. > Why is this? After reading from both locations, I think the statement > that "They both refer to essentially the same thing." is not accurate. > For example, the GNU definition of free software focuses on the freedom > of the users, while the definition of the open source movement uses the > word "free" only in the context of money, but never in the context of > freedom for the user. The difference may be subtle, but its implications > are vastly different. It's a difference in the basic underlying > philosophy. This whole thing is hugely political and spawns endless repetitious flamewars. It's hard to make any statement that doesn't set off another one, usually accomplishing very little. But perhaps a less controversial statement (since I think this part of the about page is trying to avoid controversy) would be something like: In February 1998 a group moved to replace the term "Free Software" with "Open Source Software". This terminology debate reflects underlying philosophical differences, but the practical requirements placed on software licenses, and the discussion in the rest of this page, are essentially the same for both Free Software and Open Source Software. -- Russ Allbery (r...@debian.org) <http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/> -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-project-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: https://lists.debian.org/871tv12s3b....@windlord.stanford.edu
