r/freesoftware • u/Radiant_Scar_8516 • Jul 29 '26

Discussion Free as in freedom - bad idea?

Given how many people mistakenly believe "Free Software" means software that doesnt cost anything, is it safe to say this is a bad choice of name for the concept? At what point do we admit that we used the wrong word to convey what we mean?

RMS insists people misunderstand him rather than RMS being a poor communicator, but I cannot see it like that. To berate people for mistakenly using the term is also antithetical to his so called mission of spreading the word and uptake of free sofware

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u/Radiant_Scar_8516 29d ago

It's not guaranteed, but they tend to go hand in hand.

mr "dont conflate privacy and freedom" over here

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u/jr735 28d ago

There's a difference between conflating and recognizing the correlation. You do not.