Free Software / Open source concepts

Bogdan Bivolaru bogdan.bivolaru at gmail.com
Fri Feb 15 18:36:12 UTC 2008


I wanted to share my view of the free software / open source concepts and
also check for correctness. So here's it:

Free software talks mostly about the liberties of a software user and less
about the means to develop the software it self (
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html):

   - The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0).
   - The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your
   needs (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
   - The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor
   (freedom 2).
   - The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements to
   the public, so that the whole community benefits (freedom 3). Access to the
   source code is a precondition for this

I noticed this talks little about the way software development is actually
organized.
One guy can stay alone in his cellar and make a marvelous software and then
publish it under a free software license, without working with others at
all.

Open source Definition (http://www.opensource.org/docs/definition.php)
talks very little about the actual end user, and more about how the software
is developed, the actual process of developing software.

I know this is a sore point in most communities, I was hoping to bring a new
perspective on the matter. So don't bust me if I got it wrong.
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