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by unimpressive 2555 days ago
>The only thing guaranteed about "open source" software is that you can read the source.

'Open Source' was/is a rebranding of the term 'Free Software' to make it easier to sell to suits. Eric Raymond has said as much about his invention of the phrase. The idea that it's just about "being able to read the source" is wrong. It's not vague at all, you just didn't do your research.

https://opensource.org/osd-annotated
2 comments
lliamander 2554 days ago
Quibble: ESR did not coin (nor did he claim to coin) open source, that honor goes to Christine Peterson.

Otherwise, I concur.

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slang800 2552 days ago
No, open source is a different term representing a different set of ideals. Here's an essay explaining the difference and the cases where open source software is not free software: https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point....
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