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Freedom Software vs. Freedomware?
I have proposed using the term “Freedom Software” instead of “Free Software” to describe software which gives its users the same freedom to redistribute or modify the code as the original developer. Of course, not everyone is convinced that that is the least confusing term. In this comment on an article about the Cisco open source lawsuit, “motie38″ suggests the term “Freedomware.” Is that better or worse than “Freedom Software?”
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I prefer the terms “Free Beer” software vs. “Free Speech” software.
I don’t think there’s a huge difference between Freedom Software and Freedomware, though I guess it’s a little less war-on-terror.
I prefer just to use “free software” and explain what I mean by free. It’s either free software or open source software, most other terms are just fragmented, and that leads to even more confusion if everyone is calling it a different thing. I’m with the FSF here.
To catch peoples’ attention, when asked why I use GNU/Linux or why I wouldn’t want an iPhone, I often find myself saying that free software is “technically and ethically superior.” The mention of “ethics” usually gets a question in response, and I explain the free a bit further.
I don’t know, there are limitations to the term, but I don’t see an alternative really catching on, especially after 25 years of “free software.”
As far as Free Beer is concerned, I worry that to older folks, it seems too juvenile. I’ve used those terms, but they elicit more laughter than anything else. Maybe it’s how excited I get over the idea of free beer!
After a few days to think about it, I don’t like “Freedomware” much. It’s too much like shareware or freeware, and it cross categories with software and hardware so that it sounds like something different altogether. “Ethical software” though, is an idea I haven’t considered…