Linux usability [ was: RE: Changing IP Addresses]

[DCT Jared Smith]

> > IMHO Bruce Perens is probably second only to Larry Wall in
> > his ability to be unterritorial about things other people like 
> > to fight over. You may think that he's territorial in the way 
> > he busted "Open Source" out from the "Free Software" movement, 
> > but I'll say this, free software was a rumour and a myth until 
> > he (and others) liberated it thusly.
> 
> But don't forget, that he went back to "Free Software" and 
> abandoned "Open Source".  http://lwn.net/1999/0218/a/bp.html
> 
> And "Free Software" was very much alive before 1996.  I know I
> had heard of it, and was using it as early as 1993.

Oh, yes; I was hoping those words to be inclusive of that fact. Perhaps
"rumour and myth" are too strong, for I was using free software
in the early 90s, also. All I meant to say was that the free software
concept really took off when it began to be marketed... as "open source."
Until then, few of the masses had heard of free software, now
nearly everyone has.

I was unaware that Bruce Perens went back to free software
terminology. Thanks for the link. As he pointed out in that letter,
most geeks know that Open Source and Free Software mean the same
thing, but the rest of the world wasn't clear on the concept, so
it's fruitful that he publically rejoined with rms.

-Jared