Free, open source & freeware
Free software, open source, freeware - do these ring any bells? Probably, because these terms are at the heart of today’s technologies and are deeply rooted in the software market.
But what are the differences? What does all this actually mean?
No mixing things up, no confusion - let’s be clear, let’s be precise.
An open source piece of software isn’t necessarily free software, and even less so a freeware, just as a freeware has no obligation to be open source or free. But then, what’s the difference?
Free, open source, freeware: what’s the deal?
It seems important to set the scene by introducing the GPL license (General Public License). This license, created by Richard Stallman, president and founder of the FSF (Free Software Foundation), establishes the legal conditions for distributing free software. It consists of four pillars that a free license must respect:
- The right to run the software, for any purpose
- The right to study the source code
- The right to redistribute the software
- The right to modify and then redistribute the software (free of charge or not)
The only (but strong) constraint is that any modified version of GPL-licensed software must also be GPL-licensed. This is what makes it truly viral.
The four points of this license are the four constraints that define free software. They guarantee the user’s freedom. Technically speaking, open source is similar to free software since it also meets these four requirements. The difference is more subtle:
Free software has a completely different philosophy from open source. The philosophy of free software emphasizes respect for user freedom, while open source sells the practical and performant side of sharing sources.
However, there is a more technical difference: Free software, unlike open source, does not include tivoized devices in its philosophy. (Tivoized (or tyrannical) devices contain non-free executables made from free source code.)
Freewares, on the other hand, are completely different. They are often associated with free software because the word free in English has two distinct meanings: libre and gratis. While we are indeed talking about free software (libre) when we speak of free software, the word free in freeware takes the meaning of gratis. But free software has no obligation to be free of charge, just as software that’s free of charge has no obligation to be open source, and even less to be under a free license.
There you have it - a brief distinction that helps avoid awkward mix-ups in conversation.