Free software
From Mandrivausers Wiki
Free software is a term used to describe software which gives users the freedom to use, modify, enhance, and redistribute the software. It often, but does not always, mean that the software is free from cost.
The term free software is often confused with the commonly-used term freeware which oftens means programs available at no cost, but without access to source code or freedom to modify and redistribute the code. For this reason the term is often capitalised as Free software to try to distinguish the two.
Other terms used to describe effectively the same notion include open-source software, FOSS (free and open-source software), and FLOSS (free, libre and open-source software). Needless to say there is some discussion which term is more appropriate. There are also a variety of licences with which software can be distributed, with varying amounts of restrictions.
Linux itself, and most (but not all) of the software for Linux are Free in the sense of this freedom.
The opposite of Free software in this sense is known as Proprietary software or closed-source software, but still may be distributed at no cost. For example, popular programs like Winamp, Picasa and Skype are closed-source, but still available without having to pay for them. It is sometimes said that such programs are free as in beer rather than free as in freedom. It can also be said that they are gratis but not libre.
[edit] Perceived benefits
Being free of cost is of course a great advantage for software. However some open-source software, particularly Linux distributions, does cost money to buy. The benefits go deeper, and stem from the openness of the software and the freedom to modify, improve, customise and redistribute it. Even if the user of the software never wants to look at or modify the source code, they still benefit from the community at large being able to do so. Bugs are found, openly discussed and rapidly fixed (rather than being kept secret or ignored). Underhanded corporate tricks are non-existent. Portability and translation can occur with community help for the community's benefit.
[edit] See also
See the links page for further reading on free software and the open-source movement.
