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<p>Folks, <br>
</p>
<p>every now and then terms used in discussions get a bit fuzzy
resulting in misunderstandings. We need to be very clear in our
wording to avoid this. </p>
<p>There are two terms describing the open and free approach: <br>
</p>
<ul>
<li>Open Source (mostly a development model)</li>
<li>Free Software (mostly a licensing model) </li>
</ul>
We carry this definition in the name of our main conference FOSS4G.
I actually like the symbology of the legally protecting license
models (Free Software) wrapping around the open development model
(Open Source). <br>
<br>
There is exactly and only one term which differentiates to the
above, it is: <br>
<ul>
<li>Proprietary software (mostly a licensing and business model).
</li>
</ul>
Everything else is confusing and inexact. Especially problematic is
the term <br>
<ul>
<li>"Commercial Software" (which I therefore only use in quotes,
if ever). </li>
</ul>
It is not well defined [1]. Any software that is used in a
commercial context is "commercial". This can be Open Source, Free
Software and proprietary software. So "Commercial Software" does not
really mean anything at all. Therefore we recommend to not use the
term "Commercial Software" and to be very picky and investigative
whenever hearing or reading the term. Most people just use it out of
an old habit and without much thought. <br>
<br>
The FAQ of our foundation wrap this up nicely - and I remember well
that it took dozens of mails and edits to finally get there: <br>
<a href="http://www.osgeo.org/faq#Open_Source">http://www.osgeo.org/faq#Open_Source</a><br>
<br>
And just to make sure that we build on the positive side and not to
the detriment of others, it there says: <br>
<br>
The foundation respects the important role that proprietary software
plays in our industry, and is not trying to get rid of it, or the
companies that produce it. However, the foundation takes the
position that free and open source software can and should play an
important role in the geospatial industry. Furthermore, having
quality open source alternatives to proprietary software can be good
for the end user, the industry, and even the proprietary software
vendors. In fact, most proprietary geospatial software is built on
open source software to some extent. <br>
<br>
<br>
Enjoy the day, <br>
Seven<br>
<br>
[1] <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial_software">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial_software</a><br>
<br>
--<br>
Arnulf Christl <br>
OSGeo President Emeritus<br>
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