Free Software and Torpark (was: Ultimate solution)

[Fabian Keil]

Arrakis <arrakistor at gmail.com> wrote:

> Saying free and open-source software isn't "Free" and "Open Source" is
> giving  in to a combination of semantics and snobbery of licensing.

The terms "free software" and "open source software" have been
around for a while and so has there meaning. No one said Torpark
wasn't delivered free of charge or that its source wasn't open for
review.

Torpark's license just doesn't give the user enough rights to
call Torpark either free software or open source software
without causing confusion, raised eyebrows or being laughed at.

> The source is totally free, and that isn't "Free" but free, _except_ I
> don't allow for other commercial services to rip it off and use it for
> their  personal  gain since I am giving it away to the public, and you
> can't install tracking/spyware/malware in it and then redistribute it.

So it's totally free, except that it isn't. You're also not giving it
away to the public, you're only giving it to those parts of the
public you don't discriminate against.

> Those  are  pretty  much  the  only restrictions. Perhaps GPL fanatics
> think  I  owe  it  to spyware manufacturers, or I need to give away my
> intellectual  property to every 3rd-rate commercial anonymity service?
> The  bottom  line  is, everyone benefits by these restrictions, except
> for malware manufacturers and commercial anonymity services.

... and the people who currently don't use Torpark because it isn't
free software and the people who don't care about Torpark itself but
would appreciate it if the term "free software" wouldn't be watered
down.

Fabian
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