Free Software or Open Source Software? Is There A Difference?

"Free software" versus "open source software." Which term is correct? Do they mean the same thing or is there a difference?

📰 REFERENCED:

💰 WANT TO SUPPORT THE CHANNEL?

👕 BUY SHIRTS AND MUGS:
Help support this channel by purchasing these fine t-shirts, hoodies and mugs.

🗨️ SOCIAL PLATFORMS:
IRC: irc://freenode #distrotube

📁 MY CONFIGS:

Your support is very much appreciated. Thanks, guys!

[KingZero]

free software and open source software are different in ideology... how dare you say they’re the same after you sang the Free Software Song with RMS... 😏

[mattking]

OpenSource and FreeSoftware are fundamentally different. I had a longer comment but thought it was a bit much. Great show sir!

[logangraham]

why not "freedom software"
it takes little effort to append the dom and it more clearly defines what they mean

[franzj]

I never noticed the term 'free software' until I got into Linux

[pcfreak]

I see what you mean but it's not really the same thing. Free software (in the FSF sense) means you can see the code, change it and share it. Open source simply means the code is open to anyone's eyes and anyone can reproduce it. You can of course change it and run your own changed copy, but just because it was open source, it doesn't mean that you are allowed to distribute it. That, for me, is the core difference. And I think it makes sense for a company to open source software but not make it free as well, as they might want to share sensitive algorithms but not have some random people earn on their work or even ruin an image.

[VoislavVasiljevski]

Hey @DistroTube, seems like these newer videos seem to be out of sync audio/video by about 0.25ms, my OCD kicks in a bit so i thought i point it out. Thanks for a great video.

[Zellonous]

Libre is a household word ever since Nacho Libre ; )

[patriarch]

Open source doesn't necessarily mean you're allowed to work on the code/redistribute it.

[hewfrebie]

They should've called it Software Freedom to be more direct, so it should not be a problem.

[nevdelap]

It would be useful to talk about permissive vs copyleft licenses a little. That is the key difference in this world. If Linux had been released under a permissive license our world would be a very different place. As nutty and extreme as RMS can be we owe him huge debt of gratitude for coming up with the GPL and the movement. The different licenses have their different uses depending on how the copyright holder wants their software to be used, and the details of the differences are the important thing. Mostly out of scope for a 12 minute video, yes, but worth mentioning because free and open source are not as 'the same' as the video makes them seem. Still, love your work! Cheers.

[aris]

I prefer Libre software. Open Source software does not mean it automatically respects the 4 freedoms.

[axis]

Hello, Good Sir. I've struggled to find the difference almost for 20 min. Thank you for claryfying this for me.

[lbrzwrx]

Fantastic! I've never heard an explanation as clear as yours!

[michaelkpate]

There is a difference but most people aren't coders.

[roxility]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:

Free software *and open-source software are essentially the same thing, describing software with certain licensing freedoms.*
Free software, *dating back to the 70s, emphasizes four essential freedoms including deploying, studying, redistributing, and enhancing software.*
The Free *Software Foundation emphasizes "free" as in freedom, not cost, but this can be confusing to English speakers accustomed to associating "free" with monetary cost.*
Open source *software emerged in the 90s as a term to better market the collaborative development model, addressing the confusion surrounding "free" software.*
Open source *software highlights practical benefits and collaborative development, contrasting with the moral philosophy emphasized by free software.*
While the *terms convey similar ideas, they emphasize different aspects: freedom for free software and development model for open-source software.*
Some prefer *the term "free and open-source software" (FOSS) to encompass both concepts without differentiating between them.*
Despite differing *emphases, advocates of free and open-source software don't view each other as enemies but rather see proprietary software as the common adversary.*

Made with HARPA AI

[orion]

I'd like to interject for a moment..

[clive]

Why don't they just call it 'Freedom Software' instead of rolling out the free beer crap every time?

[MilomirDesnica]

it is the same to me. if something is not open source then it can't be free as in freedom since you have no freedom to modify it

[myhandlehasbeenmishandled]

So essentially "free software" is a horrible choice for a name.

[AlucardNoir]

Here's the thing. It's called "free" software, not "free with these other caveats software". They don't like Open source? fine, but Stallman's definition is attempting to redefine "free". It's a bad, bad definition. FOSS is somewhat more acceptable since it tries to do so in a less egregious manner.