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From: dewar@merv.cs.nyu.edu (Robert Dewar)
Subject: Re: Ada-smart diff tool
Date: 1997/03/22
Message-ID: <dewar.859060828@merv>#1/1
X-Deja-AN: 227583576
References: <9703210325.AA25846@most>
Organization: New York University
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Date: 1997-03-22T00:00:00+00:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>


Wes said about the comparison tool he wants:

<<Finally (if wishes were horses) has to be "free" software.>>

I assume that the quotes around free here mean that you are not really
saying that it has to be free software (i.e. freely distributable, as
defined by RMS), but rather that you do not want to pay anything for
it (Hughes apparently not being in the business of paying for software :-) :0)

If so, a better term is freeware. 

There are two issues here.

1) You are quite happy to pay something for this software, but it is 
important to you to have sources, and the rights for unfettered
redistribution.

2) You don't want to pay a dime, but you don't want sources, and don't need
to be able to redistribute it.

These are quite separate concepts. The term Free Software (as referenced
in the FSF) refers specifically to 1, and not to 2. Note that it is possible
for free software to also be available without paying a dime, but that is
not the main emphasis.

The term freeware seems to have come into pretty general use to describe 2.