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by laken 2823 days ago
The complaint usually comes in due to an interpretation of "free."

The author includes RMS' opinion, which is true for this particular piece of software, though in many cases it's a warranted complaint. It gets into a political argument usually, but it boils down to this argument: "If I don't require copyleft, then I can't always guarantee that users of my code will get all the freedoms I provided to them."
1 comments
class4behavior 2823 days ago
Here in detail: Why Open Source misses the point of Free Software - https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point....
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groestl 2823 days ago
Maybe I missed something, but this essay seems to deal with the relationship of Open Source v Free Software, not Free Software v Copyleft Software.
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class4behavior 2823 days ago
You don't need an explicit essay on that comparison. Morever it's not vs Copyleft, but why copyleft is generally material to the purpose of Free Software.

In the linked entry Stallman primarily explains what is understood as Free Software. The comparison with Open Source merely serves as a device to illustrate the nuances in a more relatable way.

>Another misunderstanding of “open source” is the idea that it means “not using the GNU GPL.” This tends to accompany another misunderstanding that “free software” means “GPL-covered software.” These are both mistaken, since the GNU GPL qualifies as an open source license and most of the open source licenses qualify as free software licenses. There are many free software licenses aside from the GNU GPL.

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groestl 2823 days ago
I find that distinction very much of interest, and sure enough, RMS also has an explicit text available which deals with that matter more directly [0].

While free software protects the freedoms of the user only, copyleft software protects the freedoms of the developer as well. Both types of software are ethical (as mentioned in [1]), so it comes down to personal choice of the original author, who can use it as a tool to ensure their goals.

[0] https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/pragmatic.html

[1] https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.en.html

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