Wikipedia

Gratis versus libre

distinction between concepts

In English, the word free has two meanings, which are very different from each other:

  • Free can mean, that there is no cost associated with it, that something does not cost any money.
  • Free can also mean, that something is related to freedom.
Free Beer sale on the Isummit 2008 illustrates "Free as in freedom, not free as in free beer": recipe and label shared openly under CC BY-SA ("Free as in freedom") but not gratis ("free as in free beer") as the beer is sold for 500 yen.

Richard Stallman summarised the difference in a slogan: "Think free as in free speech, not free beer."[1]

References

change
  1. ↑ Lessig, Lawrence (September 2006). "Free, as in beer". Wired. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
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