🚀 go-pugleaf

yee@mipgsun.mipg.upenn.edu (Conway Yee) writes:
> It has been stated here on gnu.misc.discuss and elsewhere that the
> definition of "free" wrt gnu means unencumbered so that people are 
> "free" to use existing source code NOT "free" as in cost.

What it actually means is "freely redistributable", in that people
are "free" to give copies to friends.

> I quote from the "GNU Manifesto" found in the GNU Emacs Manual
> First Edition, Emacs Version 16 which was dated June 1985 and
> authored by Richard Stallman.  On page 183 at the bottom, I
> quote:
> 
> "Once GNU is written, everyone will be able to obtain good system
> software free, just like air.
> 
> This means much more than just saving everyone the price of a 
> Unix license.  It means that much wasteful duplication of system
> programming effort will be avoided.  This effort can go instead
> into advancing the state of the art."
> 
> Of the 4 sentences quoted, the last two explicitly mean the
> current definition of "free" as in unencumbered but the
> first two sentences imply the lack of cost definition.  This
> is implied in sentence 1 since air is used without cost.  In
> sentence 2, he says "... saving everyone the price ...".  To
> me, this is an explicit reference to the lack of cost definition
> of "free".  
> 
> Thus, it appears as if Richard Stallman originally meant for 
> "free" to mean BOTH definitions of "free".

Actually, I think he means for the GPL only to protect the "free-to-copy"
usage of the word, but he wants to imply that GNU software is free in other
senses.


mathew

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