[OT] What is Open Source?

[Oleg Broytmann]

On Wed, Apr 17, 2002 at 09:40:52AM -0700, Anthony_Barker wrote:
> For me open source is simply the ability to "look under the hood" of
> any program.
> Almost every other type of human endevor allows this. 

   But not software. This is where the big problem lies. If you look into
M$ "shared source" code, and use a part of the code later, M$ kills you
using copyright and patent laws.
   It is not enough to have the code open. One needs the rights to read, to
use, to copy, to modify, to distribute modified and unmodified versions (so
everyone benefits from the open code). Only Free Software gives you such
freedom and rights.

Oleg.
-- 
     Oleg Broytmann            http://phd.pp.ru/            phd at phd.pp.ru
           Programmers don't die, they just GOSUB without RETURN.