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terminology

Ultimately software freedom is a matter of personal liberty, however it is framed. Whether you describe it as “open source” or “free software”, the goal is for each individual user of software to be self-sovereign in their software and data. Where the privilege of choice is available, this is a matter of consciously choosing liberty, and it is strictly a matter for each individual to make a set of choices — which will necessarily be inter-related.
A gull in flight against a blue sky with a whisp of cloud

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Update: This post has graduated to the OSI blog and is also available en Français.

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While the Free Software/Open Source movement is based on an essential and timeless concept — that users of software should be self-sovereign in that software — the linguistic frame in which it was positioned long ago continues to have some unfortunate consequences that ironically distract from the very goals the frame sought to achieve.

Empty picture frames mounted on a wooden wall

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I often hear about how open source is not sustainable because it is “made by volunteers”. But that's misunderstanding the nature of volunteering in open source projects. Volunteering is relative, not absolute and it is not a useful indicator of the sustainability of a project because in independent open source projects all contributors are volunteers.

A concrete wall shows a remarkably 3D shadow of a sphere, resulting from the projection of light throufgh a wire geodesic globe containing a grey glass sphere that is suspended in front of the wall. The shadow is more striking than the globe, raising the question of which is the artwork. The background is a rich sodium orange from another exhibit The shadow may seem more real than the thing itself

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