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Fair point; I guess too often I expect "free software" when I see "open-source". I don't think I'm the only one though, at least to a degree. When the only thi
by tadzik_ 8y ago
Fair point; I guess too often I expect "free software" when I see "open-source".
I don't think I'm the only one though, at least to a degree. When the only thing you allow your users is to read the source code, you are technically open-source, but it's the kind of openness that doesn't guarantee anything. More and more often companies use the term "Open source software" because they know that people will walk around the internet and say "it's safe and secure: after all, it's open source!"
OWS is aware of this, which is especially valuable when you brag about privacy as a communications network, but they deliberately chose to limit what you can do with said "open source" – to a degree that's quite ridiculous for a company that calls themselves "Open (...) Systems" :)
- detaro 8y agoThey don't just allow you to read the source. You can start a competitor to them, using their own source code! The software is under (A)GPL, how is it not "Free Software"? You're mixing up rights to the software with rights to Signal's name and infrastructure.