What does the word "free" mean in connection to open source software? Two of the articles I read for this week - one by Stephenson and the other by Lessig - discuss the definition of this word. Both point to the work of Stallman who founded the Free Software Movement. [Side note: A video of Stallman talking about free software is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3uX5XwdN_8.] According to Stephenson and Lessig, Stallman believes that the term "free" in free and open source software (FOSS) means free "as in free speech, not free beer."
I had not really thought about this term before and what it meant in relation to software, but this discussion about freedom made me question the use of this term. Perhaps "free" was not the best choice of words and has led to many thinking that free means free software instead of the freedom to run, study, improve, and share programs. However, in thinking about FOSS and its connection to the hacker culture (see Pan and Bonk, 2007), it is possible that the "confusion" surrounding the term "free" was part of the plan. As Pan and Bonk note, the hacker culture has a history of "cooperation and knowledge sharing." So, in this sharing climate, when/how does free shift from the "free speech" concept to the "free beer" version? Is it a matter of if you take you also have to give back (i.e., gift culture)?
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Using the term "free software" can lead to confusion. However, since open source software is typically free or includes a nominal fee it may be an appropriate term. However, the term free software can lead people to forget about the other costs associated with open source software. Even if the software is free, as Stephenson points out, "zero price does not mean zero adoption cost". Unless an organization has a knowledgeable technical support staff, using open source software is not really an option. Many people are also used to using the commercial products such as Microsoft Office so they would be less inclined to learn a new product even if there is someone available to assist them. However, open source software can cause commercial vendors to improve their product. The popularity of Firefox has resulted in changes to Internet Explorer.
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