Free software vs open source software

Free software as described by GNU.org, "The four essential freedoms. A program is free software if the program's users have the four essential freedoms:
The freedom to run the program as you wish, for any purpose (freedom 0).
The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help others (freedom 2).

[malysps]

Fun fact: "free software" translated to Polish is "wolne oprogramowanie" and "wolne" has two meanings: free and slow :) So when I say to someone not tech-savvy "I love free software" in Polish they can understand that as "I love slow software". So yeah, "open source" term is more straightforward in my language too.

[hrnekbezucha]

"So the Chrome browser is free?"
"Let's just say you don't pay with money..."

[GreatOne]

Open Source is as much free beer than freeware, the only difference is, that the open source beer has the recipe printed on the glass.

[misha]

Chris, I completely agree. "Free" is just too loaded a word to use indiscriminately in this context. Kodi is a great example of how "free" can become associated with "getting stuff free" rather than freedom of use. I suspect most of the FSF die-hards are living in an echo chamber where making this kind of arcane, politically motivated distinction makes sense, but I don't. I'm a liberal in rural, conservative america where championing "free" software would just reinforce cultural stereo-types about getting something for nothing. Instead, I've tried to link the idea of open-source with the right to repair movement using the admittedly not very catchy phrase, "right to modify." This is something most farming folks immediately can relate to, especially if they own a John Deer tractor which they can't fix because JD has locked up the computer diagnostic code.

[egbertvandervliet]

you have great and honorable patience for your clients! An inspiration! cheers

[ronaldtimmermann]

Good and valid point I think.. I am one of those, that are irked by the term 'open source' and who would want tech savvy people to speak of 'free software'.. but we techies know it refers to free as in speech and not beer. I find that free and libre software (and hardware) are desperately important, the term 'free software' is unfortunately clumsy. Well put!

[TheGentGaming]

It also gets confusing to non-techies the fact that Open Source usually does not require purchasing and I believe never requires licensing.

[of.f.course]

We should call it Freedom Software to differentiate from gratis/free.

[JessicaFEREM]

Great topic to bring up and to discuss.

[hrnekbezucha]

This is a huge can of worms not only because it gets very political very quickly, English makes it a whole lot harder because there's no real distinction between the two uses of 'free'. I believe that that's the main problem of the free software movement. It's really hard to spread a message when you have to start with re-defining words. I agree with not bothering to explain it to people who just want the thing to work.

[steveheist]

I kinda have 3 bins (or rather, 2 bins and a Ziploc bag). Free software / gratis software, open source software, and FOSS software.

Free software is anything that can be done loaded without a purchase. Browsers, extensions, games, et cetera.

Open Source Software is anything where the tools to modify the software and the source code itself are readily available. The only example I can come close to in that regards is the Java Edition of Minecraft, and even that might not be 100% on the nose.

FOSS is when the two combine. There's no up front purchase and you can stick your nose into the source to see what makes it tick.

[tdhfc]

Challenging question: Can Free Software (as if FSF's definition) be non-free to use (like in paid)? And how will that be done?

[SkzZiuS]

For somebody that gets so agro about the use of language as RMS... think he really missed the boat with Free Software...

[pm]

Could just say proprietary and non-proprietary.

[MutoShack]

Free software is the best & RMS is my daddy.

[shater]

Free, Libre and Open Source Software(FLOSS) vs Free and Open Source Software(FOSS)

[clive]

Anyone who gets pissy about the difference needs go get out more. No one is going to heaven because they used free software. This Stallman diatribe is completely trivial and a waste of your life worrying about. If you worry about whether 9 year old Chinese kids were forced to make your cheap shirt then that is moral and good, if you worry about your software conforming to a̶ ̶s̶i̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶ 'copyleft' criteria then you are wasting your precious energy.