[GRASS5] Terminology: Free Software

[Bernhard Reiter]

Helena,

thanks for your perspective.
As I wrote, I am well aware of the implications and the different
arguments. 

It is my hope to not repeat the debate in full length here.
Still weigthing all arguments for myself I find that talking about
Free Software might be a good idea so I recommend it.

My mail is to find out how other developers like you feel about this.
There are also several in-between-solutions possible.

Some education about the freedom to modify and use
is always needed, so we might as well include the term
in a non persuative way. 
	GRASS a nice GIS [insert catchy headline for powerful GIS tool]!

	 GRASS is also Free Software, giving you the freedom
	 to unlimited use, modifcation and distribution of the
	 source and binary.

Bernhard



On Tue, Oct 09, 2001 at 12:23:56PM -0500, Helena wrote:
> I would like to offer a little bit different perspective - I just got home
> and started to open all junk mail that we get daily. Almost all of it
> has something free (those who live in US know what I am talking about).
> We are so much flooded here with Free stuff as an integral part of
> marketing that I just have the word FREE firmly conected in my
> mind with somebody trying to sell me something 

[snip]


> So, without knowing what is going on between the free and open
> software people and all the bad stuff around Eric Raymond,  I
> really liked the term based on Open, because it is not as
> pervasive and widespread marketing tool as the Free stuff.  Open
> software somehow more evokes the term Open society, but all of
> this is strictly my personal opinion. So while in some parts of
> the world and in some communities changing to Free software may
> lower the chance of misunderstanding and it means going back to
> the roots of the movement, it may increase the misunderstanding
> elswhere.

[snip]
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