User:Zazpot/Don't call non-free software "free"
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Summary[edit]
Don't call non-free software "free".
Guidance[edit]
| The software is | Acceptable adjectival phrases to describe the software | Unacceptable adjectival phrases to describe the software | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Libre | Gratis | ||
| Yes | Yes | "free software"; "gratis and libre software"; "libre and gratis software" | "proprietary"; "non-free" |
| Yes | No | "open source"; "libre" | "free"; "free software" |
| No | Yes | "gratis"; "free of charge"; "distributed without charge"; "proprietary non-commercial software" | "free"; "free software" |
| No | No | "proprietary commercial software" | "free"; "free software" |
Explanation[edit]
The rows in the table above require some explanation. Some of the guidance they offer is likely obvious to most readers. Some of it is less so.
In the context of software, the word "free" has a particular meaning: it means libre. (In much the same way, in the context of software, the word "bug" has a particular meaning: it means defect.) Specifically, "free software" means software that satisfies the four freedoms.
Row 1: Call free software free software[edit]
If the software in question is free software in both the technical sense (libre) and the colloquial sense (gratis), then call it "free software". This should be uncontroversial. Wikilink the term "free software" in order to help people who are only aware of the colloquial meaning to learn the technical, contextually-relevant meaning.
Row 2: Don't call software free if it is only available for a fee[edit]
Unfortunately, the special meaning of "free" in the context of software is not obvious to a lay audience. Calling libre software that is only available for a fee "free" would therefore strike a lay audience as confusing or false.
Fortunately, there is almost no such software in existence, so this is a negligible problem in practice.
Rows 3 & 4: Don't call non-free software free[edit]
Because of the special meaning of "free" in the context of software, software that is not libre should not be described as "free", as that is a false description according to that meaning, even if the software is free of charge (gratis).