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by johannes1234321 415 days ago
In that context it is important to differentiate Free from Open Source software.

The OSI is specifically built with a different vision from the FSF.

Free software, shall always be free, with almsource and ideally all derived works.

Open Source wants the code to be spread and for that allows inclusion with commercial software. (i.e. Microsoft was able to take open source TCP/IP stacks from BSD (BSD License) and integrate with Windows 95. That wouldn't have worked with a GPL Free Software implementation. (Even LGPL)

The supporting argument there is: By allowing that Microsoft's implementation was fully compatible to the rest of the world instead of having "bugs" (purposely?) in their own implementation, which would limit interoperability.

The free software argument is that they now took the code and closed it, not giving users a freedom to review (verify) and fix themselves. Which allowed Windows to play in TCP world instead of being an outsider.
1 comments
Tomte 415 days ago
Free Software nd Open Source Software are the same.

You're thinking of copyleft licenses, not Free Software.

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johannes1234321 415 days ago
No. "Free Software" is a term created by RMS/FSF. "Open Source" was later "formalized" by OSI to differentiate.

FSF puts it this way:

> Another group uses the term “open source” to mean something close (but not identical) to “free software.” We prefer the term “free software” because, once you have heard that it refers to freedom rather than price, it calls to mind freedom. The word “open” never refers to freedom.

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

The OSI has its definition here: https://opensource.org/osd

And yes, the term "open source" predates OSI, but till OSI didn't have any specific definition and was slightly different for everybody. OSI created a mostly accepted definition whoch is distinct from FSF's Free Software definition.

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Tomte 415 days ago
The definitions for Free and Open Source Software are semantically identical.

The movements have differing philosophical and political stances, but Free Software is automatically also Open Source Software, and vice versa.

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dec0dedab0de 412 days ago
There is a license that is one but not the other, but I don't think anyone uses it.
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Tomte 412 days ago
Yes, the NASA one, but I'm pretty sure OSI made a mistake and will at some point strike it from their list.
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