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That may be because "free software" is still an ambiguous term, while open source is relatively unambiguous. I prefer to use Free Software as my disambiguator o
by TuringTest 11y ago
That may be because "free software" is still an ambiguous term, while open source is relatively unambiguous. I prefer to use Free Software as my disambiguator of choice, but I understand the GP using the other form, and occasionally use it myself.
- jordigh 11y agoIn my experience, people frequently think that "open source" means a bunch of different things, such as "visible source code" (and nothing more) or "opposite of commercial" (i.e. no money allowed) or "inviting public participation" (as in "open source governance").
- dmm 11y ago> while open source is relatively unambiguous In my experience both terms are ambiguous. Many people seem to believe that "open source" simply means the source is available for examination. For example: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3205771 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3205771
- bachmeier 11y agoBoth are ambiguous, as explained here: https://opensource.org/faq#free-software https://opensource.org/faq#free-software If you want to make an unambiguous statement, use "OSI approved license".