Stefano Maffulli <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > [...] So for non-English I would simply suggest to very > carefully point out that Open Source is a term that was coined because > the term free in English is ambiguous: in your language you don't need > to look for strange words. Also, during time, OS became the word that > IBM and others use to push their marketing agenda: use free software > layer to sell their own non-free software. Basically, using the term OS > you do gratis advertising for IBM's agenda and the community loses.
Surely the ambiguity of "free" wasn't the original motivation? According to the failed Open Source Initiative[1], it was created 'to dump the confrontational attitude that has been associated with "free software" in the past and sell the idea strictly on the same pragmatic, business-case grounds that motivated Netscape.' -- http://www.opensource.org/docs/history.php Unfortunately, the word "open" is ambiguous and the word "source" is ambiguous with the end result that "Open Source" software is too ambiguous to use. http://mjr.towers.org.uk/writing/ambigopen Endnote: [1] - the Initiative was to get a US trademark on a term less generic than "free software" but that trademark is DEAD, so I say it failed. -- MJ Ray - personal email, see http://mjr.towers.org.uk/email.html Work: http://www.ttllp.co.uk/ irc.oftc.net/slef Jabber/SIP ask _______________________________________________ Discussion mailing list [email protected] https://mail.fsfeurope.org/mailman/listinfo/discussion
