[huskerlug] Re: DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD.

  • From: Patrick <pberry26@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: huskerlug@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2007 17:47:51 -0700 (PDT)

--- Martin Wolff <mwolff@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
some snippage here... follow the thread... 

>
> Also, I've never been very good with the whole
> free/non-free
> technicalities, but I'm thinking that every distro
> on this list is
> actually not completely free.  Stallman's site lists
> only Utotu,
> gNewSense, and blag as completely free. Can anyone
> else speak
> intelligently about this because I'll admit, I'm not
> sure?  If it is
> true that every distro on the top ten list is not
> completely free,
> well, I guess I would just find that interesting. 
> It is also
> interesting to note that Ubuntu plans on releasing a
> completely free
> version of itself sometime.(it was announced
> on....umm... the 12th of
> this month I think..anyways)
> 
> Martin
> 

Free and FREE have different connotations to different
speakers.

I like "Free, Open Source Software" (FOSS), but I am
also happy to get some commercial applications
included in distributions, for free, so that I can
test them.

Not trial ware with nagscreens, nor freeware, donated
to the public domain, these are full versions
distributed without the source code.  That makes them
NOT FOSS, and not FREE! But, for now, free to use and
enjoy.  Each and every one becomes unsupported in the
new kernel, as time goes on.  

That makes them unsuitable for my use in any of my
database or archival systems.  That is the same path
as other commercial offerings, where I get to
'support' the authors and programmers who maintain
that code, forever!  

Richard F. Stallman has a very strict definition of
FREE, being that it is unfettered to use, share,
archive, improve, and distribute.  I hope I have
accurately protrayed his view, and encourage you to go
and google search his works and words! 

Office Depot is selling Xandros, derived from Debian
GNU/Linux that includes applications (on a second
CDrom) that are not free. 
The distro is $79,99 in the Home-Premium version. 
So, the distro is not FREE, and includes Crossover
Office, which is not FREE.

But, the distro, Xandros, claims to be licensed under
the GPL. Hmmmm.  That might just be AOK, if the source
code is available, per the GPL. 


--
P. Berry, USAF (Retired) http://www.af.mil  Linux User #65411 
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