“Free” and “Open Source” Software: Navigating the Shibboleths

“To outsiders, software whose source code is freely
distributable is open source software. However, as soon as you
become involved with the community that centers around such code,
you quickly find that it is also called free software–and that the
two terms are far from synonymous. Which term you choose to use can
quickly associate you with a whole spectrum of political and
philosophical beliefs, and can make the difference between
receiving cooperation and being ostracized. As a newcomer, you
might easily imagine that you have stumbled out of the woods and
into the target end of a rifle range, all because of your innocent
choice of jargon.

“To make matters worse, knowing which of the two phrases to use
is difficult, because they are used in several different ways. At
the most basic level, they indicate a specific organization and its
principles. At another level, the choice of terms may reflect your
audience. And, at the most important level, your choice may reflect
your ethical imperatives and your vision of the future of
computing…”

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