On Wed, 27 Sep 2006 09:34:32 -0500, Jay Belanger <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>Al Klein <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: >... >> Free Software may, but free software refers to software that's free >> (by any of the many definitions of the word "free". (That's how >> English [and most other languages] works.) > >Really? The meaning of the adjective doesn't depend on the noun it >modifies? Not necessarily. Defining "free" as "without cost" is perfectly legitimate, as long as the particular usage isn't illogical. Any meaning can be defined into uselessness if illogicality is allowed. You wouldn't refer to "a country without cost", but anything that *can* be charged for could be called free meaning without cost. Software can be charged for, so it can also be provided without cost. Forcing the meaning of free, in a particular usage, to mean unfettered - when it's just as logical to use it to mean without charge - is controlling, not communicating. -- It's back - http://www.webdingers.com/filelist.html _______________________________________________ gnu-misc-discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/gnu-misc-discuss
