www/philosophy words-to-avoid.html

[Richard M. Stallman]

CVSROOT:        /webcvs/www
Module name:    www
Changes by:     Richard M. Stallman <rms>       07/01/30 20:58:39

Modified files:
        philosophy     : words-to-avoid.html 

Log message:
        Mention "website revision system".

CVSWeb URLs:
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.59&r2=1.60

Patches:
Index: words-to-avoid.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /webcvs/www/www/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html,v
retrieving revision 1.59
retrieving revision 1.60
diff -u -b -r1.59 -r1.60
--- words-to-avoid.html 7 Nov 2006 05:44:43 -0000       1.59
+++ words-to-avoid.html 30 Jan 2007 20:58:34 -0000      1.60
@@ -51,8 +51,12 @@
        name="TOCCreator">Creator</a>"
 | "<a href="words-to-avoid.html#DigitalRightsManagement"
        name="TOCDigitalRightsManagement">Digital Rights Management</a>"
+| "<a href="words-to-avoid.html#Ecosystem"
+       name="TOCEcosystem">Ecosystem</a>"
 | "<a href="words-to-avoid.html#ForFree"
        name="TOCForFree">For free</a>"
+| "<a href="words-to-avoid.html#FreelyAvailable"
+       name="TOCFreelyAvailable">Freely Available</a>"
 | "<a href="words-to-avoid.html#Freeware"
        name="TOCFreeware">Freeware</a>"
 | "<a href="words-to-avoid.html#GiveAwaySoftware"
@@ -180,7 +184,9 @@
 word has any specific meaning; "content" means "some sort of
 information", and "management" in this context means "doing something
 with it".  So a "content management system" is a system for doing
-something to some sort of information.</p>
+something to some sort of information.  In most cases, that term
+really refers to a system for updating a website.  For that, we
+recommend the term "website revision system" (WRS).</p>
 <p>
 However, as long as other people use the term "content provider",
 political dissidents can well call themselves "malcontent
@@ -211,6 +217,24 @@
 Restrictions Malware", and "handcuffware".</p>
 
 
+<h4>"<a href="words-to-avoid.html#TOCEcosystem"
+     name="Ecosystem">Ecosystem</a>"</h4>
+<p>
+It is a mistake to describe our community (or any community) as an
+"ecosystem", because that word implies the absence of (1) intension
+and (2) ethics.  In an ecosystem, species evolve according to their
+fitness.  If something is weak, it goes extinct, and that's neither
+right nor wrong.  The term "ecosystem" implicitly suggests a passive
+attitude: "Don't ask how things <em>should</em> be, just watch what
+happens to them".</p>
+
+<p>
+By contrast, beings that have ethical responsibility can decide to
+preserve something that, on its own, would tend to vanish -- such as
+civil society, democracy, human rights, peace, public health, ... or
+computer users' freedom.
+</p>
+
 <h4>"<a href="words-to-avoid.html#TOCForFree"
      name="ForFree">For free</a>"</h4>
 <p>
@@ -228,6 +252,15 @@
 free software."</p>
 
 
+<h4>"<a href="words-to-avoid.html#TOCFreelyAvailable"
+     name="FreelyAvailable">Freely Available</a>"</h4>
+<p>
+Don't use "freely available" as a synonym for "free software."  They
+are not equivalent.  "Freely available" means that anyone can easily
+get a copy.  "Free software" is defined in terms of the freedom of
+users that have a copy.  These are answers to different questions.
+</p>
+
 <h4>"<a href="words-to-avoid.html#TOCFreeware"
      name="Freeware">Freeware</a>"</h4>
 <p>
@@ -519,7 +552,7 @@
 </p>
 
 <p>
-Copyright (C) 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Free Software
+Copyright (C) 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007 Free 
Software
 Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110,  USA
 <br />
 Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is
@@ -529,7 +562,7 @@
 <p>
 Updated:
 <!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2006/11/07 05:44:43 $ $Author: sinuhe $
+$Date: 2007/01/30 20:58:34 $ $Author: rms $
 <!-- timestamp end -->
 </p>
 </div>