In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Al Klein <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> 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. And sometimes both meanings are logical, and then context is used to determine which is most likely intended. Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana. It's not illogical to interpret the second "flies" as a verb, but additional contextual knowledge tells us that it's probably intended as a noun. And in the GNU and Linux newsgroups, the context establishes that "free software" refers to freedom, not price. -- Barry Margolin, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Arlington, MA *** PLEASE post questions in newsgroups, not directly to me *** *** PLEASE don't copy me on replies, I'll read them in the group *** _______________________________________________ gnu-misc-discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/gnu-misc-discuss
