What is Libre (Free / Open Source) Software  Home ToC Prev Up Next 
Introduction
Principles
Free Software Definition
Terminology
Considerations
+Libre vs. Proprietary  Software
Libre Software
Proprietary software
Geopolitics of Software Industry
History
"Sociology" of the movement
Legal considerations
Choosing Libre/OpenSource software
Why address this question in classes at INT
Miscelleanous
Appendices
  

Libre vs. Proprietary Software

How to make the difference : Examine the licensing terms:

  • In theory, it's quite easy : see the table bellow.

  • In practice, consult the experts.

Basic picture :

Table 1. Rights granted

  Proprietary software FLOSS
Right to use : Yes (but limited) Yes
Right to study : No Yes
Right to modify : No Yes
Right to copy : No Yes

Sometimes, vendors tend to invent complicated licenses, and it becomes hard to interpret the licensing terms.

So rather trust experts : Free Software Foundation (http://www.fsf.org/), OpenSource initiative (http://www.opensource.org/).
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