Talk:Free/Libre/Open-Source Software

message: I segmented the article which I believe looks better, what do you think? I'd add a Free software section above open source explaining that it was the first term, and then go into why the open source was created (to make up for 'problems' with the free software term, the confusion, not emphasising technical merit, removing FOSS from ideological / philosophical viewpoint). --ShaunMacPherson 03:17, 4 August 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Segmented the article 

message: :The FLOSS acronym translates readily into other European languages, with for example the "F" representing free (English) or frei (German), and the "L" representing libre (Spanish or French), livre (Portuguese), or libero (Italian). By the end of 2004, the FLOSS acronym has been used in official English documents issued by South Africa, Spain, and Brazil. The FLOSS acronym is not used in official Spanish and Portuguese documents, since in these languages the unambiguious words libre and livre suffice.
While "frei" is a German translation for "free", it is almost equally unambiguous as "libre" -- while "Freibier" means "free beer", the adjective itself is used in the libre sense and "gratis" or "kostenlos"/"kostenfrei" (vs. "kostenpflichtig") are the adjectives used for the gratis sense. "Freie Software" is completely unambiguous ("Freies Bier" would be the rather absurd notion of libre beer, btw).
I don't think the acronym is very widespread in Germany, but either way the notion of "frei" being a translation for "free" seems a bit out of place. The (often misunderstood) term "open source" is a common Anglicism, btw, and Free Software is usually simply translated as Freie Software (which unambiguously refers to the libre sense).
I also don't see how the notion "The FLOSS acronym translates readily into other European languages" makes any sense if "libre" isn't an English word in the first place, "open source" being usually not translated at all and "free" being rather redundant in the presence of "libre". In German the Acronym would probably expand to "Freie/Libre/Open Source Software" (with "libre" just being redundant for repeating "frei" in a different language), so the L could just as well be dropped and the whole thing boiled down to "F/OSS" (which, as the article states, has a slightly different story).
Jesus. Why bother translating acronyms that arose from the need to resolve an ambiguity other languages don't neccessarily have? I guess "F/OSS" would be your best bet if you are going for a "FS and/or OSS" acronym in German: Freie / Open Source Software. -- Ashmodai 04:50, 24 March 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Frei? 

message: Shouldn't this article be merged with Free and Open Source Software or Alternative terms for free software? --67.136.143.220 07:51, 4 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: You are missing the point!  "Free Software" is taken by a large number of people as that that meets the defination of the Free Software foundation.  Open Source software is that which meets the open source definition.  FLOSS is a term that aims to be inclusive of both.  The Folks at FSF.ORG are unwilling to consider their projects as "open Source" cmacd 02:41, 6 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: You've just argued for a POV fork.  The articles should be merged, Alternative terms for free software works.  You're welcome to mention such material on those pages.  I actually think they already are. --71.161.215.74 03:58, 6 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I'll add tags to suggest the merge.  To Cmacd123, although there are two definitions, the oss definition is just a rewording of the fs definition, and although it is possible for software to meet one definition but not the other, this almost never happens in practice.  Can you name any non-niche packages that are oss but not fs, or vice versa? Gronky 11:51, 13 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Merge with FOSS or "Alternative terms for free software"?

message: http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffr.wiktionary.org%2Fwiki%2Flibre&langpair=fr%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&prev=%2Flanguage_tools
ie. One valid synonym of "libre" is "gratuit" which means "gratis".
ie. It seems to have the exact same problem as the English word "free". 
--irrevenant [ talk ] 03:05, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: No, "libre" (for any definitions you are referring to above) means "without restriction". The particular synonym of "gratuit/gratis" that is applicable is as in an admission. As in, there are no restrictions to admission based on price. It does not apply to the "free as in beer" definition of "gratis". No cover, but not an open bar. --RealGrouchy 06:51, 31 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Libre also = gratis in French?  (According to Wiktionary)