The terms 'free software' and 'open source' are often used interchangeably, but those attending Richard Stallman's presentation at the Australian Computer Society Victorian branch forum last night were left in no doubt about his view of philosophical difference.
To pay so much attention to Bill Gates' retirement is missing the point. What really matters is not Gates, nor Microsoft, but the unethical system of restrictions that Microsoft, like many other software companies, imposes on its customers.
The most effective way to strengthen our community for the future is to spread understanding of the value of freedom--to teach more people to recognise the moral unacceptability of non-free software.
Richard Stallman, founder of the Free Software Foundation, proposed changes to General Public Licence at a public forum on Tuesday but made clear that provisions to protect users from patent litigations will remain intact.
In the latest round of the Microsoft versus open-source battle, the head of the Free Software Foundation has fired the first salvo. Stallman claims software, to Microsoft, is only about money, where it should be about freedom, equality and liberty.
Richard Stallman says even if Sun and others follow IBM's lead and started defusing the patent minefield of software development, the battle against software patents must continue.
The most effective way to strengthen our community for the future is to spread understanding of the value of freedom--to teach more people to recognise the moral unacceptability of non-free software.
Free Software Foundation President Richard Stallman says Microsoft's chairman is blurring the issue of software patents.
When he began his one-man mission in 1984, critics dismissed Richard Stallman as tilting at windmills. Has his labour paid off?
General Public License governing heart of popular open-source OS is being updated to deal with patents, other issues. But it'll be a struggle.
Recent disputes over the authorship of Linux are missing an extremely obvious point. Has nobody noticed?
So far, the open source browser has been getting a free ride -- nobody is criticising it. That is, until now.
The next version of the heart of the Linux operating system is expected by June, according to project founder Linus Torvalds.
Microsoft's upcoming Palladium architecture for 'Trusted Computing' may secure PCs, but it also threatens to turn people's computers into spies.
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