Closed anonymous-matomo-user closed 12 years ago
robocoder
commented
12 years ago In parentheses, "(GPL licensed)" is a qualifier. Arguably a matter of grammar.
If we had written it as "open source/GPL", then it might suggest the two terms are interchangeable.
mattab
commented
12 years ago Piwik is Free Software (check this new page)
I have started to put "free/libre software" more on the website, and will continue doing so over the next few days. We still need to leave "open source" because it talks to people more than free software which can be confused with freeware.
anonymous-matomo-user
commented
12 years ago Replying to vipsoft:
In parentheses, "(GPL licensed)" is a qualifier. Arguably a matter of grammar.
It is not. Calling a 'Freedom Software' by another name which does not convey the users a clear message that 'this particular software respects the user freedom' is a crime. Opensource does not respect/bother (about) the freedom of the user.
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html
If we had written it as "open source/GPL", then it might suggest the two terms are interchangeable.
Call a spade, spade (and not pen) and that will solve the issue. 'Libre/free softwares' are not Opensource. Opensource is an entirely different and conflicting philosophy compared with Free Software. So a GPL software is one that respects freedom, and hence a free software, but not an opensource software which does not do that. That is whole point I wanted to make.
So if your software is licensed with GPL or any GPL compatible license, it is a free software, because it respects the freedom of the community. But when you use a word like opensource, it creates confusion amongst users that opensource and freesoftware are one and the same. Especially in this case, Opensource(GPL licensed) gives an idea that the software is opensource because it is GPL licensed.
anonymous-matomo-user
commented
12 years ago Replying to matt:
Piwik is Free Software (check this new page) I have started to put "free/libre software" more on the website, and will continue doing so over the next few days.
That is indeed nice.
We still need to leave "open source" because it talks to people more than free software which can be confused with freeware.
Opensource does speak to people and there is no doubt regarding that. But the fact is that - when it speak to people - the word opensource does not convey the message of 'freedom' to the users.
You can use 'Free/Libre Software' or 'Free (Free as in freedom) Software' to make people understand that this particular code is not proprietary piece of freeware.
If you find 'freeware' inappropriate (even though one can download it free of cost), in the same manner 'opensource' is inappropriate even though the code is open. The point here is, the description should let the people to understand correct things. When you have a special page for free software definitions and explanations, I do not think 'free software' usage will cause any kind of confusion.
robocoder
commented
12 years ago Believe it or not, I do understand the distinction of GPL vs open source vs freeware.
Piwik as a collection is GPL licensed but it includes open source components that are non-GPL; removing references to open source would mischaracterize the respective licenses of these contributions.
So if your software is licensed with GPL or any GPL compatible license, it is a free software, because it respects the freedom of the community.
Think again. GPL compatible licenses are by definition more liberal licenses than the GPL.
Actions speak louder than words. Zealotry won't advance the principles behind the GPL. Code will.
In the description about Piwik, it is written as,
In fact all GPL licensed softwares are called as Free or Libre software. Opensource is a totally different concept and contradicts with the concept of GPL or free/libre software. The present name causes confusion among the users and developers that free/libre software and opensource are one and the same. This bug is repeated through out the website and needs urgent care before the community is misled.