[gnu-pl] wwwgnudiff - raport nr 25

[Wojciech Kotwica]

--- prev/philosophy/free-software-for-freedom.html      Fri Dec  6 05:12:35 2002
+++ curr/./philosophy/free-software-for-freedom.html    Wed Feb  5 05:12:43 2003
@@ -248,11 +248,12 @@
 
 The advocates of ``open source software'' tried to make it a
-trademark, saying this would enable them to prevent misuse.  The
-attempt went awry when the application was allowed to lapse in 1999;
-thus, the legal status of ``open source'' is the same as that of
-``free software'': there is no <em>legal</em> constraint on using it.
-I have heard reports of a number of companies' calling software
-packages ``open source'' even though they did not fit the official
-definition; I have observed some instances myself.
+trademark, saying this would enable them to prevent misuse.  This
+initiative was later dropped, the term being too descriptive to
+qualify as a trademark; thus, the legal status of ``open source'' is
+the same as that of ``free software'': there is no <em>legal</em>
+constraint on using it.  I have heard reports of a number of
+companies' calling software packages ``open source'' even though they
+did not fit the official definition; I have observed some instances
+myself.
 
 <P>
@@ -339,11 +340,11 @@
 <P>
 
-We cannot do the same with these new companies, because they won't go
-let us.  These companies actively try to lead the public to lump all
-their activities together; they want us to regard their non-free
-software as favorably as we would regard a real contribution, although
-it is not one.  They present themselves as ``open source companies,''
-hoping that we will get a warm fuzzy feeling about them, and that we
-will be fuzzy-minded in applying it.
+We cannot do the same with these new companies, because they won't let
+us.  These companies actively invite the public to lump all their
+activities together; they want us to regard their non-free software as
+favorably as we would regard a real contribution, although it is not
+one.  They present themselves as ``open source companies,'' hoping
+that we will get a warm fuzzy feeling about them, and that we will be
+fuzzy-minded in applying it.
 <P>
 
@@ -436,5 +437,5 @@
 Updated:
 <!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2002/12/05 21:23:23 $ $Author: brett $
+$Date: 2003/02/03 15:52:51 $ $Author: rms $
 <!-- timestamp end -->
 <HR>