Linux news

2007 07 12

Freedom and Exploitation of Open Source Values by Businessmen

It's All About Freedom

A debate often heard among FOSS evangelists across the world, is that using software is about "free as in freedom, not free as in beer". The libre vs. gratis argument rings no less true for some of the richest corporations in the world. I was recently at the Open Source Business Conference (OSBC) in San Francisco and I was struck by the sheer number of Fortune 500 corporations talking about their adoption of open source and explaining why they've signed onto the movement. [...] It's all about freedom: freedom to control, freedom to share, and freedom to build the open standards needed to protect the future of freedom.

http://s5h.net/u?zf285a
Freedom to control? Dragging one's feet to open source

But, regardless, while you're straddling the fence, please use accurate nomenclature. Call it "shared source" or "available source" or "look-but-don't-you-dare-touch-and-distribute source," but don't call it open source until you offer the right to fork. If the code can't be forked, it's just not open source.

http://s5h.net/u?zcc3f
Do You Grok Open Source?

Their first question is indubitably: "Why would highly skilled people give away the fruit of their difficult labor?" Followed by, "If it's free, can it be any good?"

http://s5h.net/u?z6eb79