Changes for page 3. Free Software and Open Source Software
Last modified by chrisby on 2025/01/11 10:03
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... ... @@ -61,12 +61,12 @@ 61 61 62 62 **Do permissive or copyleft licenses provide the most freedom?** 63 63 64 -* The answer depends on your definition of freedom. Permissive licenses emphasize freedom of choice, allowing you to do whatever you want with the code, including reusing it in proprietary products. Copyleft licenses emphasize user freedom by ensuring that derivative works remain free and open, and by protecting users from proprietary restrictions that could violate the four essential software freedoms. Thus, both permissive and copyleft licenses provide freedom, but they focus on different aspects of it. 64 +* The answer depends on your definition of freedom. Permissive licenses emphasize freedom of choice, allowing you to do whatever you want with the code, including reusing it in proprietary products. Copyleft licenses emphasize user freedom in a more political sense by ensuring that derivative works remain free and open, and by protecting users from proprietary restrictions that could violate the four essential software freedoms. Thus, both permissive and copyleft licenses provide freedom, but they focus on different aspects of it. 65 65 66 66 **Does a permissive or copyleft project lead to more contributions?** 67 67 68 68 * Permissive licenses might attract more users, especially vendors, and lead to more voluntary contributions. Copyleft licenses, on the other hand, force improvements to be open sourced and shared with the community. Which effect is greater depends on the situation. 69 69 70 -**Why should people with no technical expertise care about open source? People who cannot even read the source code.**70 +**Why should people with no technical expertise care about open source? Speaking of people who cannot even read the source code.** 71 71 72 72 * Even if you cannot read or modify the source code yourself, open source gives you the ability to hire experts to customize or improve the software to meet your needs. You can also benefit from the contributions and improvements made by the open source community. In contrast, proprietary software limits your control and often makes you dependent on the vendor for updates and changes. Managers should consider the long-term benefits of open source software, such as flexibility, community-driven innovation, and freedom from vendor lock-in.