Showing posts with label Free Software. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Free Software. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Free Software, Open-Source, Libre, FOSS and FLOSS: what are the differences?

Are these just different names for the same thing? Or there are differences?
Photo by Romain Vignes on Unsplash

We have been discussing free and open-source for some time and recently covered the actual differences between the expressions "free software" and "open source software". Interestingly, not only these terms are pretty common today as we're also seeing others growing including Libre, FOSS and FLOSS. Since there are still lots of misunderstandings about them, let's take some time to understand the similarities and differences between them.

Free Software

The term "free software" was created by Richard Stallman the creator of the GNU project and the Free Software Foundation. Free in "free software" is not about price, but freedom. Freedom to use and modify the software you use. According to the GNU Project, the four essential freedoms are:

  • Freedom 0: freedom to run the program as you wish, for any purpose.
  • Freedom 1: freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
  • Freedom 2: freedom to redistribute copies so you can help others.
  • Freedom 3: freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others. By doing this you can give the whole community a chance to benefit from your changes. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
In summary, free software is about freedom, not price.

Open-Source

The "open source" term was created by a group of folks who later formed the Open Source Initative (OSI) to distinguish from the more philosophically-focused term "free software." According to OSI's distribution terms, open-source software must comply with the following ten criterias:

  • Free redistribution
  • Access to the source code
  • Derived Works
  • Integrity of The Author's Source Code
  • No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups
  • No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor
  • Distribution of License
  • License Must Not Be Specific to a Product
  • License Must Not Restrict Other Software
  • License Must Be Technology-Neutral

Libre

Due to the ambiguity of the word free in the English language meaning both "for free" and "freedom", libre (in French, "free" as in freedom ) was chosen due to its equivalency to freedom. Today Libre is frequently (and correctly) used as a synonym/alternative for "free" as per Stallman's original definition Stallman's original definition of "free software" being about freedom, not price.

FOSS

FOSS is equivalent to free + open source software. If you understand they're not equivalent, certainly you agree that FOSS indeed goes beyond "free" and "open" capturing Stallman's original vision of freedom vision with OSI's more commercially-inclined vision of the with open source.

FLOSS

FLOSS goes even further by adding the L for Libre. As seen, libre is equal to "free" as in freedom so it adds just a little bit to the confusion, doesn't it? Anyhow, FLOSS is also a valid term these days and commonly used and a synonym for FLOSS.

Conclusion

On this post we reviewed the differences between Free Software, Open-Source, Libre, FOSS and FLOSS. We hope it helps!

References

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Monday, January 25, 2021

FOSS/FLOSS: what's the difference?

One L. Is that all the difference between FOSS and FLOSS?
Photo by Syd Wachs on Unsplash

On a recent post, we discussed the differences between Free Software, Open-Source, Libre, FOSS and FLOSS. Today, let's review the differences and similarities between both. 

FOSS / FLOSS

The first thing to know is that either FOSS and FLOSS are acronyms, where:

  • F/O/S/S: Free + Open Source + Software
  • F/L/O/S/S: Free + Libre + Open Source + Software

If that didn't help much, don't worry! Let's review what they mean. 

Free Software

The term "free software" was created by Richard Stallman the creator of the GNU project and the Free Software Foundation. Free in "free software" is not about price, but freedom. Freedom to use and modify the software you use. According to the GNU Project, the four essential freedoms are:

  • Freedom 0: freedom to run the program as you wish, for any purpose.
  • Freedom 1: freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
  • Freedom 2: freedom to redistribute copies so you can help others.
  • Freedom 3: freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others. By doing this you can give the whole community a chance to benefit from your changes. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
In summary, free software is about freedom, not price.

Open-Source

The term "open source" was created by a group of folks who later formed the Open Source Initative (OSI) to distinguish from the more philosophically-focused term "free software." According to OSI's distribution terms, open-source software must comply with the following ten criterias:

  • Free redistribution
  • Access to the source code
  • Derived Works
  • Integrity of The Author's Source Code
  • No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups
  • No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor
  • Distribution of License
  • License Must Not Be Specific to a Product
  • License Must Not Restrict Other Software
  • License Must Be Technology-Neutral

Libre

Due to the ambiguity of the word free in the English language meaning both "for free" and "freedom", libre (which in French means "free" as in freedom) was chosen given its equivalency to freedom. Today Libre is frequently (and correctly) used as a synonym/alternative for "free" as per Stallman's original definition.

Difference between FOSS and FLOSS

With all that said let's discuss the difference between FOSS and FLOSS: one L. As seen above, because Libre and Free are synonyms (as per the author's original intention however on different languages), FOSS and FLOSS are equivalents.

However, some people view FLOSS as more inclusive than FOSS which we totally disagree. Whoever created the expression FLOSS, didn't understand that F stands for freedom (not "for free" as in costs zero dollars).

Conclusion

On this post we discussed the potential differences between FOSS and FLOSS. Since both F and L are about freedom, not price, both are literally synonyms as intended by the creator of the "free software" expression. That said, FOSS and FLOSS can be considered equivalents with FLOSS being redundant at most.

Do you disagree? Reach out to us on twitter to let us know!

References

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Monday, January 18, 2021

Free Software and Open-Source: what are the differences?

Contrarily to what you think, free software and open-source are not the same thing
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

On recent posts, we have been discussing free and open-source software and related licenses. Contrarily to what you may think, free software and open-source are not the same thing. Today we will discuss what are the differences between both.

Free Software

In order to understand the differences between both terms, it's important to recap the definition of both. So let's start with this statement from Richard Stallman, the creator of the GNU project and the Free Software Foundation:

When we call software “free,” we mean that it respects the users' essential freedoms: the freedom to run it, to study and change it, and to redistribute copies with or without changes. This is a matter of freedom, not price, so think of “free speech,” not “free beer.”

But which are the four essential freedoms? According to the GNU Project, they are:

  • Freedom 0: freedom to run the program as you wish, for any purpose.
  • Freedom 1: freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
  • Freedom 2: freedom to redistribute copies so you can help others.
  • Freedom 3: freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others. By doing this you can give the whole community a chance to benefit from your changes. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
In summary, free software is not about price, but about your freedom.

Open-source software

It's important to understand the origin of the expression "open-source" so we can distinguish it from "free software". The “open source” label was created on February 3rd, 1998, to distinguish it from the more philosophically-focused label "free software." With the label, the Open Source Initative (OSI) was also created to explain and protect the "open source" label. The adoption of the term was swift, with early support from figures in the community, like Linus Torvalds, and by many key individuals, including the founders of, Perl, Python, Apache, and representatives from other organizations.

According to OSI's distribution terms, open-source software must comply with the following ten criterias:

  • Free redistribution
  • Access to the source code
  • Derived Works
  • Integrity of The Author's Source Code
  • No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups
  • No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor
  • Distribution of License
  • License Must Not Be Specific to a Product
  • License Must Not Restrict Other Software
  • License Must Be Technology-Neutral

Differences

Despite similarities, there are differences between free and open source software. Here's a quick summary:
  • Free software: more flexible licensing model, more geared towards users and their communities, more about your freedom to run the apps you need, distribute the software as you wish and your freedom to distribute copies of it and help the community around you.
  • Open source: free redistribution but with a more restrictive licensing model, more restrictive licenses, can carry "nonfree" conditions, users cannot modify the program they run.
For more information about the differences, read this article.

Implications

So let's finalize with concrete, objective remarks: what are the implications of using "open-source" or "free software" for consumers and for organizations?

Implications for Consumers

But what are the implications to consumers for each license. In theory, open source licenses are a little more strict than free software licenses on the freedom aspect (not on the price). That said, if you don't expect to modify that open source program you just installed, it should be fine.

Implications for Developers and Organizations

If for consumers are not directly affected by the subtle differences between the diverse types of licenses, the maintainers should definitely take the differences  carefully into account. As discussed in our post about open-source licenses, when releasing free/open software, it’s essential that companies understand the differences between the multiple existing licenses — including proprietary ones — and choose the one that best fits the objective of the project.

Another important aspect is how much control they want to have on their project. The free software movement places all the cards on the user while the open source initiative is usually more geared towards commercial organizations.

Critics

Let's finish by discussing the critics both movements got with time. They are:

  • Free Software: too political, too philosophical, not much financially/commercially inclined.
  • Open Source: too commercial (primarily following the goals of businesses), does not reach the general population, or when it reaches is used for their exploitation (not our own words) by collecting information and even manipulating the user. 
To some extent, the above critics make sense, especially when we consider two critical problems of free/open source projects: funding and developer burnout. Neither of the options addresses those problems.

Conclusion

On this post we reviewed how "free software" differs from "open-source". There's way more differences between the terms "free software" and "open source" than most people imagine but it would be safe to say that most "free software" could be categorized as "open source", but not the contrary. Despite the contrasts, free/open source is the most effective way to build products/services today. As a consumer, understanding the differences between the multiple licenses available would definitely help you in your free/open source journey.

For more information on the topic, please consider reading the references below.

References

See Also

Monday, January 4, 2021

What is Free Software?

Would you be able to correctly define free software? Is free software really always free? Do you know which are the four essential freedoms of the free software movement?
Photo by Fuu J on Unsplash

On a previous post we discussed what is open-source. Today we will understand what is "free software" as per definition from the original founders and understand the difference between free and open-source software.

History of the Free Software Movement

To understand free software, it's important to understand the history of the free software movement.

The GNU Project has been campaigning for the free software movement and for users' freedom since 1983. The launch of the free GNU operating system  in 1984 as an alternative to non-free/proprietary operating systems was the first step. During the next decade, the GNU project only developed the essential components of the operating system and the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL), a license to release those components designed specifically to protect freedom for all users of a program.

Free Software Definition

So let's jump straight to the topic and define "free software". According to the Richard Stallman, the creator of the GNU Project, the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL) and the Free Software Foundation:

When we call software “free,” we mean that it respects the users' essential freedoms: the freedom to run it, to study and change it, and to redistribute copies with or without changes. This is a matter of freedom, not price, so think of “free speech,” not “free beer.”

With that said, here is what you should observe:

  • "free" in the "free software" expression isn't equal to zero dollars but to freedom of speech
  • free software is much more than price. It's about principles.

So let's learn more about the essential freedoms.

The four essential freedoms

According to the GNU Project, a program is free software if the program's users have the four essential freedoms:

  • Freedom 0: freedom to run the program as you wish, for any purpose.
  • Freedom 1: freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
  • Freedom 2: freedom to redistribute copies so you can help others.
  • Freedom 3: freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others. By doing this you can give the whole community a chance to benefit from your changes. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.

Free Software x Open-Source software

With all the definitions satisfied, the only question that remains is: is free software equal to open-source? Long story short, no! But it's a long and complex topic which we'll cover in a future post.

Conclusion

On this post we learned about "free software", its origin and the contributions it had from the GNU Project, the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL) and the Free Software Foundation. The free software movement plays an extremely important role in today's broader consumer/enterprise landscape and its extremely important for growing Linux and open-source software.

For more information on the topic, please consider reading the references below.

Further References

See Also

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