Re: Questions

[Richard Stallman <rms gnu org>]

    Definately not: but I believe Gnome encompasses a much larger community,
    that is more than just GPL/LGPL'ed code: for example, code I write
    will, as it has for 15 years, be licensed via the X Copyright...

    In this sense, I believe Gnome is an open source project, not
    strictly a GNU project.

GNOME is a GNU project, now as in the past.  This doesn't mean we
can't use code that is under the X11 license.  In GNU we often use
whole packages (such as XFree86) that have such licenses, and we also
use pieces of such code in GNU packages when that's useful.

But important GNOME components should always be released under the
latest GNU licenses, so that we do the maximum to protect the users'
freedom.

    In this sense, I believe Gnome is an open source project, not
    strictly a GNU project.

Many people think that the GPL is a "free software license" while and
other licenses such as X11 are "open source licenses".  This is a
misunderstanding; the X11 license is in fact a free software license,
because it gives the user the crucial freedoms.  (See
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html.)

The difference between the Free Software Movement and the Open Source
Movement in terms of which licenses we and they accept is small: it is
important when it arises, but that happens rarely.  Nearly all open
souce programs you will encounter are also free software.  (See
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html.)

The main difference between the two movements is in the philosophy.
In the Free Software Movement, we think of freedom for the user as our
goal.  We aim to serve users, not only with technical convenience but
also by giving them the freedom they are entitled to.  The Open Source
Movement speaks only of practical, technical benefits and doesn't
say that users are entitled to freedom.

GNOME, launched specifically to counter a threat to our freedom,
is the free software project par excellence.