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I agree the ambiguity is unfortunate. Libre isn't very natural in English, though. Personally I think software freedom would have been a good name for the movem

I agree the ambiguity is unfortunate. Libre isn't very natural in English, though. Personally I think software freedom would have been a good name for the movement. Perhaps freed software for the adjective form.

fsflover 6y ago
"Software freedom" sounds like we fight for the freedom of software, not people. "Freed software" sounds like it was nonfree at some point, which is usually not true... Even though "libre" is not natural in English, it could get better with time, like with many other words.
- MaxBarraclough 6y ago
  > "Software freedom" sounds like we fight for the freedom of software, not people Academic freedom and religious freedom are accepted terms. > Freed software" sounds like it was nonfree at some point, which is usually not true... Under copyright law, it is true. Software defaults to being non-Free. Software is not Free Software unless someone has taken the deliberately step of making it so. I agree though that it's not ideal. > Even though "libre" is not natural in English, it could get better with time, like with many other words. I hope you're right, but that's an uphill battle, and so far it's a losing one. We're stuck with Free Software, and clarifying with footnotes. There are also FOSS and FLOSS, but I wouldn't use them outside Hacker News where I can assume the terms will be recognised.