Ciaran O'Riordan wrote: > graham <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: >> rms's [...] done many things but inventing the idea of free >> software isn't one of them > > Yes. He launched the free software movement, but free software is as old as > software itself. > > In the 60s, all or most software cam with source code and nothing prohibited > or prevented recipients from using, modifying, sharing, or redistributing. > > In the 70s this started to change and in 1983 RMS launched a movement to > bring these freedoms back.
Yes, I'm aware that this is the orthodoxy. But it doesn't quite fit my memory, and I prefer to stay with that even if in a minority of one. My memory says that while all programmes before the late 70s were open source, only some were free software - 'aggressively' open source, in a sense, designed to run across platforms, passed around with messages positively encouraging people to share. rms was first inspired by and joined this movement, then formalized it and launched it on a new phase, as you describe. Graham _______________________________________________ Fsfe-uk mailing list [email protected] http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/fsfe-uk
