The terms “free software” and “open source” stand for almost the same range of programs. However, they say deeply different things about those programs, based on different #values. The free software movement campaigns for #freedom for the users of computing; it is a movement for freedom and #justice. By contrast, the open source idea values mainly practical advantage and does not campaign for principles. This is why we do not agree with open source, and do not use that term.

When we call software “free,” we mean that it respects the users' essential freedoms: the freedom to run it, to study and change it, and to redistribute copies with or without changes. This is a matter of freedom, not price, so think of “free speech,” not “free beer.”

These freedoms are vitally important. They are essential, not just for the individual users' sake, but for society as a whole because they promote social #solidarity—that is, #sharing and #cooperation. They become even more important as our culture and life activities are increasingly digitized. In a world of #digital sounds, images, and words, free software becomes increasingly essential for freedom in general.

--- Why Open Source Misses the Point of Free Software, by Richard Stallman - https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.en.html

#FreeSoftware #RichardStallman #freedom