Free/Libre/Open-Source Software

The phrase Free/Libre/Open-Source Software (FLOSS; see also the similarly derived FOSS) refers to both Free Software and Open Source Software. A combined phrase is useful due to an unresolved naming dispute. The phrase "Open Source" was devised in February 1998 with the explicit intent of replacing the historically earlier phrase "Free Software," (http://www.opensource.org/docs/history.php) which Open Source advocates felt was impeding acceptance by the business community. The renaming attempt was highy successful in one sense, and a dismal failure in another. It was successful in that the phrase "Open Source" was quickly and enthusiastically embraced both by many developers and, perhaps more importantly, by the majority of the English-speaking press. However, it was a failure in that it was unequivocally rejected (http://www.fsf.org/licensing/essays/free-software-for-freedom.html/view?searchterm=open%20source) by Richard Stallman, the universally acknowledged founder of the Free Software movement. Stallman's rejection is based in part on deeply held differences in philosophy and values that typically are not well understood by everyday users of such software, a situation that has further aggravated the intensity of the naming dispute.

Historically, FLOSS was first used as a project acronym by Rishab Aiyer Ghosh (http://flossproject.org/people.htm). In 2001 the European Commission (EC) used the phrase when they funded a study on the topic (http://flossproject.org), and in July 2002 they further popularised the acronym by publishing both a FLOSS survey and study (http://flossproject.org/report/) and a FLOSS workshop report (http://flossproject.org/workshop/). The EC chose FLOSS as an inclusive acronym that hopefully would not further antagonize the main participants in the naming controversy. Although neither side has shown much enthusiasm for FLOSS or any other all inclusive phrase, Richard Stallman has acknowledged and recommended use of the phrase Free/Libre/Open Source Software (http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/audio/rms-interview-edinburgh-040527.txt) by those who refuse to commit themselves explicity to his philosophical approach.

In constructing the FLOSS phrase, the Spanish word libre was included to emphasize the "freedom from entanglements" meaning of the English word free, as opposed to the unintended (but frequently assumed) "pay no money" meaning. The similarly derived acronym FOSS avoids using libre not because of any disagreement with this clarification, but to avoid collision with the English word "floss".

The FLOSS acronym translates readily into other European languages, with for example the "F" representing free (English) or frei (German), and the "L" representing libre (Spanish or French), livre (Portuguese), or libero (Italian). By the end of 2004, the FLOSS acronym has been used in official English documents issued by South Africa (http://www.naci.org.za/floss/index.html), Spain (http://europa.eu.int/idabc/en/document/1637/470), and Brazil (http://www.softwarelivre.org/news/1727). The FLOSS acronym is not used in official Spanish and Portuguese documents, since in these these languages the unambiguious words libre and livre suffice.

See also

External links

pl:FLOSS fr:Free/Libre Open Source Software it:FLOSS

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