NPO

Kurt Granroth plug-discuss@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us
Sat, 21 Apr 2001 03:13:21 -0700


der.hans wrote:
> > I wonder if anyone here really supports anything other than free software.
> > Remember GPL is not the only free software.  Apache, BSD etc license are
> > also free softwrae.
> 
> Actually, I believe we do have people who support Open Source as opposed
> to Free Software.

Indeed.  I am an Open Source software advocate but I rarely push "free
software."  This, btw, is a *very* common attitude in the KDE camp and
is one of the single biggest differences between KDE and GNOME
developers.  GNOME is very much a "free software" project... KDE is
Open Source.

The difference, for those who haven't followed the subtleties of the
phrases, is that I prefer Open Source software solely because it is
*practically* a much better model than closed source development for
the things that I work on and use.  Sure, the ethical and moral ideals
that free software convey are *nice* and I realize that Open Source
wouldn't even be here if not for the extremists like Richard... but I
just can't seem to view closed source developers as evil or even
wrong.

And if you don't think of free software in terms of "good and evil"
"morally right vs wrong", than you clearly haven't talked with TRUE
free software advocates.  Those of you who have talked with RMS (or
even listened to any of his speeches) can back me up here :-)
-- 
Kurt Granroth            | http://www.granroth.org
KDE Developer/Evangelist | SuSE Labs Open Source Developer
granroth@kde.org         | granroth@suse.com
            KDE -- Conquer Your Desktop