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  1. Hello there! You seem to have used the term "open source".
  2. First of all, the term "open source" was created at the end of the 1990s by a group of people that did not want to be associated with the free software movement. When I say "free" software (which is one of the alternatives preferable to "open source"), I am not talking about price; in that case I would say "gratis", or "free as in free beer". The term "free" in "free software" should instead make you think about "freedom", because that is what the free software movement is fighting for.
  3. So what is "free" software? Free software is any software, that guarantees the user the four essential software freedoms:
  4. 0. Run the program as you wish.
  5. 1. Study the source code and change it so it does what you wish.
  6. 2. Redistribute exact copies of the program.
  7. 3. Distribute your modified version of the program.
  8. Some people decided that they wanted to retain the right to distribute their software and thus restrict the user; they started the term "open source" arguing that if the user can still study and modify the source code, everything is well. This is directly hurting the cause of the free software movement because it takes away the "freedom" aspect of free software and turns the issue into a technological one rather than a sociological one.
  9. So for those reasons I ask that in the future you use the terms "free", "free/libre" or, if necessary "FLOSS" (short for "free/libre and open source"), though the latter should still be avoided.
  10. More information on free software and the free software movement can be found on https://www.fsf.org.
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