[License-discuss] FAQ suggestion

[Luis Villa]

I have posted a slightly tweaked version of this (incorporating some of
Rick and Richard's suggestions as well). Thanks again, Engel.

Luis


On Sun, Nov 10, 2013 at 10:12 AM, Engel Nyst <engel.nyst at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hello license-discuss,
>
> I would propose an additional paragraph to the FAQ, for the question
> What is "free software" and is it the same as "open source"?
>
> The text currently says:
> > One of the tactical concerns most often cited by adopters of the term
> > "open source" was the ambiguity of the English word "free", which can
> > refer either to freedom or to mere monetary price; this ambiguity was
> > also given by the OSI founders as a reason to prefer the new term
> > (see "What Does `free' Mean, Anyway?", and similar language on the
> > marketing for hackers page, both from the original 1998 web site).
>
> At this point in the text, I'd suggest to insert a little explanation on
> the ambiguity in the use of the term of open source as well. Quick draft...
>
> > On the other hand, the term "open" applied to the source is sometimes
> > used in the sense of merely "provided" or "visible", but the open
> > source definition sets the criteria for "open source" to software
> > licenses that guarantee a set of perpetual and irrevocable
> > rights to every recipient.
>
> The text should then probably skip "furthermore", and continue...
>
> > The FSF uses a shorter, four-point definition of software freedom
> > when evaluating licenses, while the OSI uses a longer, ten-point
> > definition. The two definitions lead to the same result in practice,
> > but use superficially different language to get there.
>
> I hope it will help with a number of misunderstandings.
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