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Re: [libreplanet-discuss] New GNU


From: Robert Martinez
Subject: Re: [libreplanet-discuss] New GNU
Date: Fri, 11 May 2012 22:33:35 +0200
User-agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64; rv:12.0) Gecko/20120430 Thunderbird/12.0.1



On 11/05/12 07:23, Dave Crossland wrote:
I think a sustainable "free software" label is missing
I think the GPL functions as this. I know people who don't use
GNU+Linux as their main OS but who search for GPL software (eg they
web search for 'gpl cd burning windows')


The GPL is far from being a label:

_it is a license, and a special one with an important twist
  (and therefore quite abstract and hard to explain)
_it is intransparent and scattered into GPL, GPLv3, AGPL, LGPL,....
_it is not equal to the term "free software", there is lots of
  free software that does not and cannot carry that label

It is way too hard to know if certain applications actually ARE free software as described by the fsf. The label that misses would not have to be a big legal document that works for code projects.
It should be just that: a label.
Your 5 step theory points to the ultimate goal: "software freedom matters."
But what is that insight good for if people cannot recognize it?
Interested people would are drawn to more popular labels like "the linux" or "open source", get attracted to the nice superficial principles and loose the awareness of the importance of freedom.

My point is: we need a label for fsf approved "free software". There is none.



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