Notices by Kelvin Shadewing (kelvinshadewing@mastodon.social)

@lxo But that's exactly my point, "free" changes meaning based on context, so when paired with "software" it sounds like "beer". People don't know what "libre" means, so instead of making an assumption, they'll ask for clarification. Free is associated with freedom in reference to places or practices, such as land or speech, but in reference to products, it's taken as cost, such as beer or real estate. Software is seen as a product, hence the confusion.

@lxo So wouldn't saying "free" in English to them just lead to the same issue? Why not just call it their word for "freedom" instead?

@lxo True, but does "free" work as well or any better? I imagine translation would be needed either way.

Can we please replace #freesoftware with #libresoftware ? I keep hearing people confusing free software with freeware, and no amount of Stallman hemming and hawing is going to change that. Libre exclusively means "liberty". It's clear and easy and doesn't run the risk of people mislabeling gratis but proprietary software as free software.

#PixelArt #Blobfox