Re: [Fsfe-uk] Wikipedia to merge Free Software and Open Source

[Alex Hudson]

Noah Slater wrote:
> You could develop some software in total secrecy and occasionally publish the
> code with a GPL licence. This would be Free Software but to call it Open Source
> would be a mistake because it does not follow an open development methodology.
>   

Netscape was "open source" the moment they released the code; that was 
like the first the big open source win.

The development methodology is an adjunct. I agree that the open source 
attitude, if there is one, is that "it's better to develop code in large 
groups", and to do that you need a suitable licensing environment. But 
whether or not something is "open source" is nothing to do with how it's 
developed.

Cheers,

Alex.