[RobotToaster]

"“Free software” means software that respects users' freedom and community. Roughly, it means that the users have the freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software. Thus, “free software” is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of “free” as in “free speech,” not as in “free beer.” We sometimes call it “libre software,” borrowing the French or Spanish word for “free” as in freedom, to show we do not mean the software is gratis. "

https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html

[jrm4]

As a huge fan of GNU and the idea of Free Software;

It might be time to lead with Libre? This rather unfortunate ambiguity causes SO many problems.

[elicash]

This is entirely unrelated to Krita, but on the "free beer" mention: I had heard free as in beer, and also free as in puppies. But two that I heard recently and loved that make different points: Free as in mattress, and free as in piano.

[SahAssar]

> Free as in mattress, and free as in piano

I don't get it, could you explain?

[sigstoat]

the mattress could be infected with bedbugs.

and a piano that's been unmaintained for enough decades isn't an instrument any more, and never will be. and disposing of them is expensive.

they have negative value, despite not costing any money.

[LegitShady]

Around me free pianos are just worth less than the cost to move them, not that there is anything wrong with them a professional couldn't tune.

I see people trying to sell old Yamaha organs and they lower the price until it becomes "free just take it out of here so I don't have to pay someone to do it."

[bee_rider]

Huh. Free as in mattress, I got the negative implication.

Free as in piano, thought it was some kind of… I dunno, almost a pun or something. In some places, people will play piano in public, performing for passers by, or just for their own entertainment.

“Free as in beer” has the implication of being probably a bait and switch or having some strings attached. “Free as in speech” has an implication of having some significant political statement; I mean, “free speech” covers trivial speech too of course, but it isn’t how we usually use the expression.

The idea of software more like a funny song that’s been released into the universe is a bit charming. I like my misinterpretation better than the real thing, I think.

[MayeulC]

Free as in piano... I read that as "ok, you got a free piano, but now you've got to invest a lot of time into learning how to play it". Free as in free book, if you will.

See also the "everything must be paid for twice" article (submitted a while back on HN).

[CRConrad]

> I read that as "ok, you got a free piano, but now you've got to invest a lot of time into learning how to play it".

Also not the easiest thing to move to where you want to use it, as opposed to wherever it happened to be when it was gifted to you.

[SahAssar]

I don't get how those help saying what value open source software does or does not give. With the original two there are clearly two ways to view free (beer, as in you do not pay for the software, and speech as in that you get certain rights with it).

You are talking about the quality of the software, and I don't think that is correlated to either the versions of free described above. I have paid for software that has been buginfested and that has been completely unfit for its purpose.

Is any of what you said related to free/libre software?

[blauditore]

There's also free as in Jazz, but we're digressing quite far from the topic here.

[birdyrooster]

Stealing this

[dontlaugh]

Almost no one uses the term that way, though. Certainly not the vast majority of possible users.

[zelphirkalt]

For me it has become a reflex to check, when a product says it is "free", whether they mean no-cost or freedom. Always a little disappointed, when they chose the wording without seemingly knowing about libre.

[carride]

That is the title which is seen on the posted URL from Krita website. Standards for submitting to HN is not to alter the title.

[commoner]

Rule of thumb: when you see the phrase "free and open source software" (FOSS), the word "free" in that phrase refers to freedom, not price.