Loving Ubuntu Linux

[Bill Cairns]

On Fri, Feb 25, 2011 at 10:48 AM, Anthony Papillion <papillion at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> While I don't know for sure if you were responding to my message
> specifically, the only reason I brought up free vs proprietary was not
> because I was taking issue with Ubuntu not being totally free but rather
> taking issue with CALLING Ubuntu free (which it isn't). Whether that is
> good or bad is up for debate.
>
> Anthony

I find myself getting confused here about what kind of "free" we are
talking about - and which we want. There is free as in free speech and
free as in free beer (and free as in free love and perhaps a few other
frees too). FOSS claims to be free as in free speech and I, along with
many others, think that is a wonderful idea. But there is also
software that is free as in free beer but which is not open source and
I can understand why some companies (and individuals) would want to do
that although I would rather they didn't. But it does not mean that
they are good and ethical people or that their software is in any way
inferior. (Pegasus mail and Irfanview anyone?)

No, the whole of Ubuntu is not free because it contains some
proprietary software which is not open source. But, if I don't have to
pay for it, it is free enough for me to carry on with.

Bill