In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Al Klein <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> On Wed, 27 Sep 2006 23:18:02 -0400, Barry Margolin > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > >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. So there shouldn't be much ambiguity when the context is > >understood > > Since most people who use software aren't part of "the industry", and > understand "free" to mean "without charge", the phrase merely > technospeak - the majority of the world will continue to consider > software attached to the word free as being software without charge. > As does acf. And if I were talking to lay people, I probably wouldn't use uncommon industry jargon. But this is a technical newsgroup, not a newspaper, so we should be able to talk in technospeak and not feel the need to define our terms every time. -- 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
