Many already know that free software and open-source (open source) is not the same, but even those of us who know it sometimes use it as a synonym and it is not entirely correct. There are certain differences that must be highlighted.
Although in both cases it is software (we have also seen how this philosophy has jumped into hardware and even other categories) that contributes its source code To be able to see how it is made and what it does, not everything is similar. We also know that free software is free and that open source programs or operating systems are for the most part as well.
As to developmentIn both cases, the code can be modified or improved and used “freely”. Obviously you will be thinking that free software is also open source and you are absolutely right. For this reason, we should rather talk about licenses, rather than free vs. open-source software. So what is the difference?
To answer the previous question we can analyze two of the most prominent licenses in this area, BSD and GPL. The BSD license is a license to encompass open source software and despite what many think it is much more permissive than GPL. But permissiveness sometimes has serious consequences.
We are not going to go into the details of explaining what GPL and BSD consist of, because we could get content for several articles, but we do highlight the key point. While GPL licensed software can be modified and redistributed as long as it remains free, BSD licensed software can be modified and redistributed under another license (including those of closed code).
Therefore, there will not be a “Linux"Closed as if there is a"BSD”Closed (Mac OS X)… Ultimately what I mean to say is that free software will always be free, but open source may one day come across a derivative in which we are slammed in the face when trying to snoop its source code.
A note.
Just because a software is under the GPL license does not mean that it should be free. I can develop an application, subject it to that license and just as I could leave it free, I could also charge for it, and for that reason it would not stop being GPL. It is precisely on the graph. I can sell it if I want.
Many times the confusion is presented by the term in English .. Free software, one of the meanings of free is free.
Hello. Of course what you say is totally true. In fact, English speakers often change the word "free" to "free" because it is less ambiguous. Free in English can mean both free and free, but free software is not always free and that is why they call it "free software" to distinguish it. Nor do free programs have to be free or open source, there are many free download programs that are closed.
Regards!!!