Comments on: microsoft redefines "free software" http://blogs.gnome.org/desrt/2006/10/05/microsoft-redefines-free-software/ a lowercase manifesto Mon, 12 Sep 2011 11:31:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Jonh Wendell http://blogs.gnome.org/desrt/2006/10/05/microsoft-redefines-free-software/comment-page-1/#comment-110 Jonh Wendell Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/desrt/2006/10/05/microsoft-redefines-free-software/#comment-110 hahaha :)<p/>That was so funny!! Forward it to Richard Stallman :D hahaha :)

That was so funny!! Forward it to Richard Stallman :D

]]> By: Alan Horkan http://blogs.gnome.org/desrt/2006/10/05/microsoft-redefines-free-software/comment-page-1/#comment-111 Alan Horkan Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/desrt/2006/10/05/microsoft-redefines-free-software/#comment-111 The "Free Software" Foundation (FSF) geeneral capitalise the term when they use it. This isn't an unreasonable use of the English language on Microsofts part, the software is free in the sense that the face price is $0. More worrying is the amount of utterly unintelligable marketing jargon and corporate-speak that manages to get on the Microsoft website. <p/>Frankly I think the FSF have no one but themselves to blame for the confusion. They say free as freedom, so why not just say *freedom*, and if they had called it "freedom software" in the first place things would be a whole lot clearer. <br/> The “Free Software” Foundation (FSF) geeneral capitalise the term when they use it. This isn’t an unreasonable use of the English language on Microsofts part, the software is free in the sense that the face price is $0. More worrying is the amount of utterly unintelligable marketing jargon and corporate-speak that manages to get on the Microsoft website.

Frankly I think the FSF have no one but themselves to blame for the confusion. They say free as freedom, so why not just say *freedom*, and if they had called it “freedom software” in the first place things would be a whole lot clearer.

]]> By: Anonymous http://blogs.gnome.org/desrt/2006/10/05/microsoft-redefines-free-software/comment-page-1/#comment-112 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/desrt/2006/10/05/microsoft-redefines-free-software/#comment-112 <i>This isn't an unreasonable use of the English language on Microsofts part, the software is free in the sense that the face price is $0. More worrying is the amount of utterly unintelligable marketing jargon and corporate-speak that manages to get on the Microsoft website.</i><p/>Well, on the other hand, if you actually look at the software they listed, the first one on the list is Microsoft Internet Explorer 6. If you go to Microsoft's website in attempt to download it, its pretty clear that the software isn't freely downloadable. You need to verify you have a license to download Internet Explorer 6. You must purchase the license in order to download the software. So its not free by any reasonable interpretation of the English language. This isn’t an unreasonable use of the English language on Microsofts part, the software is free in the sense that the face price is $0. More worrying is the amount of utterly unintelligable marketing jargon and corporate-speak that manages to get on the Microsoft website.

Well, on the other hand, if you actually look at the software they listed, the first one on the list is Microsoft Internet Explorer 6. If you go to Microsoft’s website in attempt to download it, its pretty clear that the software isn’t freely downloadable. You need to verify you have a license to download Internet Explorer 6. You must purchase the license in order to download the software. So its not free by any reasonable interpretation of the English language.

]]> By: pinky http://blogs.gnome.org/desrt/2006/10/05/microsoft-redefines-free-software/comment-page-1/#comment-113 pinky Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/desrt/2006/10/05/microsoft-redefines-free-software/#comment-113 "freedom software" simply doesn't make much sense if you look at the grammar of this term. "Free Software" makes perfect sense and after you have explained which meaning you mean in the english language it fits well within the 4 freedoms.<br/>Also you should keep in mind the the Free Software movement is not an english or american movement, it's a worldwide movement and in many language it is completly unmistakable, e.g. "logiciels libre" in French, "software libre" in Spanish, "software libero" in Portugese, "Fri Software" in Danish, etc..<p/>So Free Software is a perfect term which describes exactly what we want to say because free in the sense of freedom is a common use in the normal linguistic usage of the language, the grammar of the term makes sense and it allows to speak to all peoples arround the world in their own language because it's no coinage like "Open Source". “freedom software” simply doesn’t make much sense if you look at the grammar of this term. “Free Software” makes perfect sense and after you have explained which meaning you mean in the english language it fits well within the 4 freedoms.
Also you should keep in mind the the Free Software movement is not an english or american movement, it’s a worldwide movement and in many language it is completly unmistakable, e.g. “logiciels libre” in French, “software libre” in Spanish, “software libero” in Portugese, “Fri Software” in Danish, etc..

So Free Software is a perfect term which describes exactly what we want to say because free in the sense of freedom is a common use in the normal linguistic usage of the language, the grammar of the term makes sense and it allows to speak to all peoples arround the world in their own language because it’s no coinage like “Open Source”.

]]> By: Max Beauchez http://blogs.gnome.org/desrt/2006/10/05/microsoft-redefines-free-software/comment-page-1/#comment-114 Max Beauchez Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/desrt/2006/10/05/microsoft-redefines-free-software/#comment-114 lol that is pretty funny, yes. lol that is pretty funny, yes.

]]> By: Hub http://blogs.gnome.org/desrt/2006/10/05/microsoft-redefines-free-software/comment-page-1/#comment-115 Hub Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/desrt/2006/10/05/microsoft-redefines-free-software/#comment-115 What does it do in French? What does it do in French?

]]> By: Gabriel Gunderson http://blogs.gnome.org/desrt/2006/10/05/microsoft-redefines-free-software/comment-page-1/#comment-116 Gabriel Gunderson Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/desrt/2006/10/05/microsoft-redefines-free-software/#comment-116 Funny. I blogged about the very same thing:<p/><a href="http://gundy.org/2006/08/14/free-as-in-lame/">http://gundy.org/2006/08/14/free-as-in-lame/</a><p/>Free minds think alike. :) Funny. I blogged about the very same thing:

http://gundy.org/2006/08/14/free-as-in-lame/

Free minds think alike. :)

]]> By: desrt http://blogs.gnome.org/desrt/2006/10/05/microsoft-redefines-free-software/comment-page-1/#comment-117 desrt Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/desrt/2006/10/05/microsoft-redefines-free-software/#comment-117 in french it displays the same (english) text in french it displays the same (english) text

]]> By: desrt http://blogs.gnome.org/desrt/2006/10/05/microsoft-redefines-free-software/comment-page-1/#comment-118 desrt Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/desrt/2006/10/05/microsoft-redefines-free-software/#comment-118 this software is free in no sense of the word.<p/>internet explorer is "free" in the sense that you get a "free cd player" when you buy a new car. this software is free in no sense of the word.

internet explorer is “free” in the sense that you get a “free cd player” when you buy a new car.

]]> By: Alan Horkan http://blogs.gnome.org/desrt/2006/10/05/microsoft-redefines-free-software/comment-page-1/#comment-119 Alan Horkan Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/desrt/2006/10/05/microsoft-redefines-free-software/#comment-119 > "freedom software" simply doesn't make much sense if you look at the grammar of this term<p/>Rubbish! Look a sentence with no verb, I can play grammar games too. Grammar can be more flexible than you think. <br/>Call it artistic license or literary flair but although using a noun as an adjective may be frowned upon by grammar nazis it is exactly what they should have been creative enough to do. The shouldn't take grammar too seriously, especially when they are already misprounouncing 'gnu', and trying to redefine other words. <p/>Frontloading the meaning by using the word "freedom" makes far more sense than obfuscating and hoping you will have the chance to explain yourself later. <br/> > “freedom software” simply doesn’t make much sense if you look at the grammar of this term

Rubbish! Look a sentence with no verb, I can play grammar games too. Grammar can be more flexible than you think.
Call it artistic license or literary flair but although using a noun as an adjective may be frowned upon by grammar nazis it is exactly what they should have been creative enough to do. The shouldn’t take grammar too seriously, especially when they are already misprounouncing ‘gnu’, and trying to redefine other words.

Frontloading the meaning by using the word “freedom” makes far more sense than obfuscating and hoping you will have the chance to explain yourself later.

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