Re: [fsf-community-team] What's in a name............

[James Phillips]

On Mon, Dec 14, 2009 at 02:31:46PM -0800, Mike VandeVelde wrote:
> Hmmm... since you brought it up, and since it gets brought up *all* the 
> time...
> 
> free (freedom) software
> 
> community / communal software
> public software
> liberty / liberating software liberation
> unrestricted software
> 
> I kind of like:
> 
> NATURAL SOFTWARE
> 
> Like as in "free as a bird". Not tamed or domesticated. An ecosystem. 
> Survival of the fittest. Adapt or die. No holds barred. Code the way 
> nature intended.

Why is a license needed at all then? That sounds closer to the more 
recent BSD licences: Simplified BSD License (FreeBSD License):
Copyright 1994-2009 The FreeBSD Project. All rights reserved.

   Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
   modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
   are met:
    1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
       notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
    2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above
       copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following
       disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials
       provided with the distribution.

   THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE FREEBSD PROJECT ``AS IS'' AND ANY
   EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
   IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
   PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE FREEBSD PROJECT OR
   CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL,
   SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT
   LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF
   USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED
   AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT
   LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN
   ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE
   POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

   The views and conclusions contained in the software and
   documentation are those of the authors and should not be
   interpreted as representing official policies, either expressed or
   implied, of the FreeBSD Project.


> And then the opposition becomes unnatural software: with artificial 
> restrictions, arbitrary rules, fences springing up all over, heavy 
> handed oppression, all kinds of regimentation.

Yes, but the GPLv3 is 10 pages of restrictions for software developers. 
The end user is specifically not required to agree (section 5 of 
GPLv2), so your term may fit as far as that goes.

Don't get me wrong: I *like* the anti-DRM and patent clauses. ;)

Regards,

James Phillips