Open Source Software - Errors on the gnu web site

Author

Errors on the gnu web site

ACF Member

2006-05-18, 7:10 pm

There are some errors on your site
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/categories.html we would like you to fix
them ASAP!!!

Some "free software"/ open source advocates are actively promoting
erroneous defintions of Freeware. Please help us conteract the spread
of
the kind of FUD found on this web page.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeware

They are WRONG!!! WRONG!!! WRONG!!!

You maintain on your site http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/categories.html
that: "Free software is a matter of freedom, not price." We regret to
inform you that you are WRONG!!!

A group of participants in the alt.comp.freeware newsgroup maintain
that Freeware
is a matter of the cost you pay (monetary and non-monetary) to use the
software. Our definition of Freeware (narrow though it)is: "Freeware:
Legally obtainable
software that you may use at no cost, monetary or otherwise, for as
long
as you wish." is the pureist definition of Freeware that's out there.

Freeware may or may not be open source - the terms are not mutually
exclusive. The terms "free software" and Freeware are about two
different things, Both may (or may not) apply to a given software
program.

Please use ACF's ware definition of Freeware on your web pages and/or
link to ACF's ware glossary which defines "wares" in terms of monetary
and non-monetary costs.

We in the alt.comp.freeware newsgroup and www.pricelesswarehome.org are
on the frontlines of the Software Definition war. We in
alt.comp.freeware and www.pricelesswarehome.org set the standards by
which all "Official Ware Definitions" are decided. I am the group
leader of alt.comp.freeware newsgroup and www.pricelesswarehome.org and
I speak for all the members.

http://www.pricelesswarehome.org/acf/WareGlossary.php

All comments and questions should be posted in the alt.comp.freeware
newsgroup.

Unruh

2006-05-19, 7:05 pm

"ACF Member" <acfmember@gmail.com> writes:

>There are some errors on your site
>http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/categories.html we would like you to fix
>them ASAP!!!

And you are posting this to the net? Rather than to the people themselves?

>Some "free software"/ open source advocates are actively promoting
>erroneous defintions of Freeware. Please help us conteract the spread
>of
>the kind of FUD found on this web page.

FUD?

>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeware

>They are WRONG!!! WRONG!!! WRONG!!!

You mean that you disagree.

>You maintain on your site http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/categories.html
>that: "Free software is a matter of freedom, not price." We regret to
>inform you that you are WRONG!!!

No they are not. That is a very common definition of freeware. It is you
that is trying to promulgate a restrictive, idiosyncratic definition.

>A group of participants in the alt.comp.freeware newsgroup maintain
>that Freeware
>is a matter of the cost you pay (monetary and non-monetary) to use the
>software. Our definition of Freeware (narrow though it)is: "Freeware:
>Legally obtainable
>software that you may use at no cost, monetary or otherwise, for as
>long
>as you wish." is the pureist definition of Freeware that's out there.

???? a weird definition which would say that say GPL is not freeware.

Pureist? I assume in your opinion.

>Freeware may or may not be open source - the terms are not mutually
>exclusive. The terms "free software" and Freeware are about two
>different things, Both may (or may not) apply to a given software
>program.

And you are talking about free software. And free software that is not
opensource is useless.

>Please use ACF's ware definition of Freeware on your web pages and/or
>link to ACF's ware glossary which defines "wares" in terms of monetary
>and non-monetary costs.

Why?

>We in the alt.comp.freeware newsgroup and www.pricelesswarehome.org are
>on the frontlines of the Software Definition war. We in

Like the war on drugs, a self proclaimed war.

>alt.comp.freeware and www.pricelesswarehome.org set the standards by
>which all "Official Ware Definitions" are decided. I am the group
>leader of alt.comp.freeware newsgroup and www.pricelesswarehome.org and
>I speak for all the members.

OOOOO. We quake in our boots, Herr Oberleutner.

>http://www.pricelesswarehome.org/acf/WareGlossary.php

>All comments and questions should be posted in the alt.comp.freeware
>newsgroup.

Katja Henttonen

2006-05-22, 4:16 am

>You maintain on your site http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/categories.html
>that: "Free software is a matter of freedom, not price." We regret to
>inform you that you are WRONG!!!

What are you missing? You write yourself:

>the terms Free Software and Freeware are about two different things.

Yes, I surely agree on this one! "Free software is a matter of freedom,
not price" as stated on GNU website. On the contrary, "freeware is a matter
of price"
as you point out yourself.

I think this difference is explained clearly at
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/categories.html.

So I don't get what your complaint is. If you still have one, you better
post it
to gnu.org rather than spam several OSS related news groups.

Katja

"ACF Member" <acfmember@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1147998158.603880.215670@j33g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> There are some errors on your site
> http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/categories.html we would like you to fix
> them ASAP!!!
>
> Some "free software"/ open source advocates are actively promoting
> erroneous defintions of Freeware. Please help us conteract the spread
> of
> the kind of FUD found on this web page.
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeware
>
> They are WRONG!!! WRONG!!! WRONG!!!
>
> You maintain on your site http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/categories.html
> that: "Free software is a matter of freedom, not price." We regret to
> inform you that you are WRONG!!!
>
> A group of participants in the alt.comp.freeware newsgroup maintain
> that Freeware
> is a matter of the cost you pay (monetary and non-monetary) to use the
> software. Our definition of Freeware (narrow though it)is: "Freeware:
> Legally obtainable
> software that you may use at no cost, monetary or otherwise, for as
> long
> as you wish." is the pureist definition of Freeware that's out there.
>
> Freeware may or may not be open source - the terms are not mutually
> exclusive. The terms "free software" and Freeware are about two
> different things, Both may (or may not) apply to a given software
> program.
>
> Please use ACF's ware definition of Freeware on your web pages and/or
> link to ACF's ware glossary which defines "wares" in terms of monetary
> and non-monetary costs.
>
> We in the alt.comp.freeware newsgroup and www.pricelesswarehome.org are
> on the frontlines of the Software Definition war. We in
> alt.comp.freeware and www.pricelesswarehome.org set the standards by
> which all "Official Ware Definitions" are decided. I am the group
> leader of alt.comp.freeware newsgroup and www.pricelesswarehome.org and
> I speak for all the members.
>
> http://www.pricelesswarehome.org/acf/WareGlossary.php
>
> All comments and questions should be posted in the alt.comp.freeware
> newsgroup.
>

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