In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Roger Johansson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Barry Margolin wrote: > > > > "Free Software" is open source. Free software, like free milk, is > > > something you aren't charged for. It's a shame they chose such an > > > ambiguous word. > > > While it may be a shame, they've been using the phrase for about 20 > > years now. It's become part of the industry lexicon. Similarly, we > > have the jargon "freeware" that refers to software distributed at no > > cost. > > Have you heard the expression "spin doctor". That expression describes > what you seem to be doing. > > You talk about the expression "free software" in very authoritative > terms, like "part of the industry lexicon". You describe the word > "freeware" in a derogatory way and call it "jargon". That wasn't my intent, I was just trying not to use the same word twice in a paragraph. It's an old habit I learned from creative writing teachers (is it in Strunk & White?), although perhaps it's inappropriate for this type of writing. > > > So there shouldn't be much ambiguity when the context is > > understood -- we have distinct terms for these different concepts. > > AFAIK, there's no other common term for what is called "free software", > > Why not call it "open source software", or GPL or LGPL software, or > public domain software, etc..? Open source software is not the same as free software (as I've mentioned elsethread, open source is a subset of free). And GPL is just one free software license, so it's not an appropriate general term. > > Why do you absolutely want to use the very ambiguous expression "free > software"? > > I can answer that question myself, actually. You want to use the > expression "free software" for propagandistic purposes, to create and > establish a new linguistic convention. I don't think I have an agenda. I think the posters who refuse to accept that a phrase has acquired an idiomatic meaning beyond the literal interpretation of the constituent words are the ones who have an agenda. I didn't create this term, and after 20 years it's no longer "new". -- Barry Margolin, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Arlington, MA *** PLEASE post questions in newsgroups, not directly to me *** *** PLEASE don't copy me on replies, I'll read them in the group *** _______________________________________________ gnu-misc-discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/gnu-misc-discuss
