[school-discuss] Re: [seul-edu] Software Freedom Season

[Paolo Pumilia <xpol@interfree.it>]

From Richard Smedley, Wed Oct 02, at 10:29:
 .If Free Software is sometimes referred to as 'open source 
 .software' then this is simply incorrect :-(
 .

Maybe you are referring to 'open source software licenses', but even 
in that case i do not share your opinion.    
More remarkably, many people use 'open source' referring to a sort of cultural 
movement stressing the importance to free access to knowledge;
not only software but data storage formats and transfer protocols
are very important issues as well, in open source movemment. 
Not only computer infrastructures, but free access to all intellectual
production is a very important issue in open source movement. 
That is the conclusion i have drawn, having been reading of those many 
initiatives that flourished in the last few years, inspired with open 
source, as claimed by their authors. 
Openocurseware by MIT being the most noticeable example that comes to mind. 
For the above reasons, I find te expression 'open source' inclusive of 
'free software'. 

Open Source is still an evolving concept, with blurred borders due to 
its spreading over different cultural fields.
Here is the definition that our group (AICA OpenSource) maintains, at present:
 
  Open source can be considered as a set of principles and particular 
  collaborative methodologies aimed at the realization of a product. 
  Distintictive features of those methodologies are:
 
  - exploiting a free computer infrastructure with no predetermined hierachy 

  - exploiting the intellectual property law to spread knowledge contents
    of products under the least restrictions as possible. 

as you can find (in italian) at: 
http://linfe.it/AICA-OpenSource

Certainly such definition can be improved, but it is already open enough to 
take into account knowledge fields besides software. 
I hope you can help us in this regard. 

I know there is some people who were part of the open source/free software 
movemennt, now pretending to change the meaning of those words. I think
that their idea of freedom is basically very different from mine, although
we often use the same words. 
Once i was proud to write GNU/linux (even though it was not technically
correct, in my opinion); now it is something i don not care any more. 

best regards
--
Paolo Pumilia