Jesse's Blog

   开源软件倡导者所主要关心的问题是给程序员提供选择性（Choice），而自由软件倡导者所强调的是增加用户（使用软件）的自由性（Freedom）。但是，当我们在深入进去（讨论）之后，你会发现，这里的所谓“自由性”（Freedom），其内涵大体上就是一种“自主性”（Independence）。因而，自由软件的目标明显高于（宽于）开源软件的追求，而选择性只是一种自由性而已。

   守护自由软件的GPL v3新版本正式发布，进一步凸显了自由软件与开源软件的两大派别。开源软件的倡导者认为，开源软件只是编程的一种最好方式（比如，可以与私有软件“结婚”（结盟）），而自由软件的倡导者却认为，从长期发展来看，没有必要与私有软件（包括私有硬件厂商）妥协，比如：Ubuntu。今后，我们应当仔细区分自由软件与开源软件的主张，尽管这两者的“基础代码集”（比如Linux内核）是一致的。

   One useful way to understand the split between the free software and Open Source movements is to think of it as the opposite of a schism. In religious schisms, churches separate and do not work or worship together because of relatively small differences in belief, interpretation, or motivation. For example, most contemporary forms of Protestant Christianity agree on almost everything but have separated over some small but irreconcilable difference. However, in the case of the free software and Open Source movements, the two groups have fundamental disagreements about their motivation and beliefs. One group is focused on freedom, while the other is focused on pragmatics. Free software is most accurately described as a social movement, while Open Source is a development methodology. However, the two groups have no trouble working on projects hand-in-hand.

    In terms of the motivations and goals, Open Source and free software diverge greatly. Yet in terms of the software, projects, and the licenses they use, they are completely synonymous. While people who identify with either group see the two movements as being at odds, the Ubuntu project sees no conflict between the two ideologies. People in the Ubuntu project identify with either group and often with both.