On Sat, Aug 21, 2010 at 9:00 PM, K.P. Senthil Kumar <sekumar...@gmail.com>wrote:
> Thanks Balaji for bringing this in. I am getting lots of queries on this > and > people have got confused with these terminologies. The following are my > opinion and I am open to have a healthy debate and knowledge sharing on > this topic. > > Oh my god, it is you who is confused. > For example, Microsoft opens its Windows source code available FREE to > anyone then it could be classified as FOSS. But if they decide to charge > then it could be classified as POSS/COSS. > 'Free' in free software is used in the sense of *free speech*. You are confusing it with *free beer*. I did not bring the License issue in to this discussion. > Then you haven't discussed at all! Free software is all about freedom and hence license does [in fact only thing that] matter. Money doesn't matter. Free software can also be paid/charged. Any thoughts in favour or otherwise? > All free software are open source software because publishing source code is essential to freedoms required to be a 'free software'. Not all open source software are free software. (See my next mail in reply to vijay in this thread to know why) These are the freedoms that any license should grant you for it to qualify as free software: - Freedom 0: The freedom to run the program for any purpose. - Freedom 1: The freedom to study how the program works, and change it to make it do what you wish. - Freedom 2: The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor. - Freedom 3: The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements (and modified versions in general) to the public, so that the whole community benefits. @Balaji: Hope this clears your doubt. -- *அகிலன்* (Akilan R) (http://www.coding-aviator.blogspot.com) *I should have no use for a paradise in which I should be deprived of the right to prefer hell.* --Jean Rostand _______________________________________________ ILUGC Mailing List: http://www.ae.iitm.ac.in/mailman/listinfo/ilugc