Ramanraj K wrote:
"Free Software" is without ambiguity or overapplicability:
Without ambiguity? You have taken a very common english word and added special meaning to it, and you call it unambiguous?
Agreed. The term "Free" is indeed ambiguous. But "Open Source" is worse. Of course., talking in the semantic sense "Open Source" is not as ambiguous., but the way the masses are taking it.. it is indeed a ambiguous term. When you hear the term "Open Source Software", you get to think of Software that you cat get the Source of. The "Source Code" may be not shareable. May not be modifyable. The program/source may be under restrictive licenses. But still in a literal semantic sense, it is open source. This ambiguity is used by many corporates to confuse the public. I've seen this happen.
When we say Free Software, it of course causes a ambiguity where the masses think it is Free (in price) Software. But the damage caused to the understanding of the ideals is not as bad as that in Open Source. The term "Free", is unambiguous because some monopolistic corporate cannot put any other ruleset other than of the Free Software definition and claim his software to be Free Software (to a novice who is uninformed).
Cheers, Joe