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Story: Sun 'distorts' definition of free software
Posted by: Erik Wikström (Saturday 2 July 2005, 12:36 PM)
What many in the FOSS-community fails to understand is that Schwartz actually is right. For the large majority of people using the software the access to the source-code, or the right do modify is it totally irrelevant since they don't know how to program and thus have no need for the code and no means to modify it.
Most people does not use the software in ways which commercial licences forbid either, so that's another freedom they have no use of. As for the right to redistribute the fact that the software was free to begim width makes it kind of irrelevant, since it's often easier to get it from the official hompage than having your friend burn a CD.
Conclusion: The most important part of FOSS for most people is that it's free!
Full Talkback thread
Story: Sun 'distorts' definition of free software
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Pundit Rule #001: No Wookies
http://www.channeling... Will Parker -
Sun's president Jonathan Schwartz's comments about... Erik Poupaert
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What many in the FOSS-community fails to understan... Erik Wikström -
Erik Wikström:
"Beauty is in the eye of the... Abe -
I'm afraid, when it comes to understandi... Woodrow Windischman -
to Wikström & Windischman: you may be right, but y... cb2
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Well said cb2.
Those who use the software mig... Doe
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I wrote my comment in the context of the... Woodrow Windischman
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There's another aspect of Open that seems to be ov... Arthur B.
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Asking the users about the details of the lic... Andrew Meredith
