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Re: [LUG] What is the purpose of free software ?

 

On Sun, 28 Jan 2007 19:44:29 +0000
"Ben Goodger" <goodgerster@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> My interpretation is that free software exists to ensure that
> availability of functionality is universal and not constricted by
> money, copyright, etc.

FTR, copyright is the basis of free software - the GPL is a copyright
licence and relies on copyright law for enforcement. The licence is
more important than copyright (which is generated by default).

I know what you meant though.

> The open-source development and distribution model, especially the
> GPL, work very nicely with the free software idea but are not the
> same thing.

So far, this is what Microsoft have failed to determine: they are
approaching an understanding of the open source development and
distribution model - they fail completely to understand the free
software community.

--

Neil Williams
=============
http://www.data-freedom.org/
http://www.nosoftwarepatents.com/
http://www.linux.codehelp.co.uk/

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