2000-11-14-16:37:06 Lipscomb, Al:
> Open Source is often used to describe software that has its source
> code available regardless of the license involved.
Could be, people use words as they wish. But if you'll take a visit
to <URL:http://www.opensource.org/>, you'll find that the term was
very specifically drafted by a group of people with an agenda, and
they've produced a branding service based on an Open Source
Definition, which definitely excludes weirdo licenses like djb's.
> "Free Software" as promoted by the Free Software Foundation (FSF)
> is a different thing. I belive that the DJB software is Open
> Source, but not free.
Unlike Open Source, the phrase "free software" strongly predates the
Free Software Foundation and they've made no attempt at branding it;
rather, they pursue branding the GNU General Public License (GPL),
which is stricter than (but compatible with) the Open Source
Definition.
> Based on the FSF definition it is not the cost, but what you are
> allowed to do with it that is the issue.
The FSF and the Open Source Initiative (OSI) are in pretty close
agreement in a lot of these basics, and neither of them would
endorse djb's license; he chooses to prohibit his users from making
unrestricted use of the code he writes: they aren't allowed to
distributed modified versions. That restriction is what leaves qmail
and djbdns a bit off the main stream of the free software movement
as it's crusading these days; people believe that that ability
contributes in a basic and important way to preserving their
investment in the time and effort required to become really expert
in a package. If ever djb decides to stop maintaining his software,
it stagnates, because while individuals may do so for their own
benefit, the community as a whole cannot work together to do so ---
redistribution of modified versions is critical for that sort of
collaboration.
Heck, even doing standards-compliant software packaging of his
software is prohibited. It's not free software or open source in a
fairly important way. This doesn't matter to djb, but it's important
and this distinction shouldn't be glossed over.
-Bennett
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