[Resolved] Free software vs non-free software

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tovian
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[Resolved] Free software vs non-free software

Post by tovian »

Perusing the packages listed in Synaptic I kept seeing the terms "Universe" and "Multiverse". I did a few Google searches and landed on the Ubuntu site. Here is a fragment of a thread on their Board:
"From the Ubuntu documentation:
The repository components are:
Main - Officially supported software.
Restricted - Supported software that is not available under a completely free license.
Universe - Community maintained software, i.e. not officially supported software.
Multiverse - Software that is not free.

For example:
The Ubuntu Desktop team manages the gnome-terminal package, it is officially supported and in the main repository.
bcmwl-kernel-source (the Broadcom wireless driver) is in restricted, since it is a supported, but proprietary, driver.
Community written software that is not officially supported (for example, the game supertuxkart) is in the universe repository.
Packages like ubuntu-restricted-extras (which contains proprietary codecs that allow you to play media files,
including flash player) are in the multiverse repository because they are not free and their restrictive licenses prevent inclusion in the default package set.

I know FlashPlayer is annoying as all HeII - but I never knew it was NOT free. What's up with that? :shock:
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Re: Free software vs non-free software

Post by MintBean »

It's 'free as in beer' (no financial cost) but not 'free as in speech,' meaning it has a restrictive license and is proprietary and closed source.
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Re: Free software vs non-free software

Post by tovian »

@MintBean: I guess I understand although your reference to free beer is confusing. If you know of a place serving free beer I would be grateful if you'd let me know about it.
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Re: [Resolved] Free software vs non-free software

Post by Moem »

It's just silly that the English language lacks two discrete words for such different concepts. In Dutch, we have 'vrij' which refers to freedom, and 'gratis' which means at no cost. It wouldn't hurt to add the word 'gratis' to English as it's commonly used.
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Re: [Resolved] Free software vs non-free software

Post by Arch_Enemy »

Moem wrote:It's just silly that the English language lacks two discrete words for such different concepts. In Dutch, we have 'vrij' which refers to freedom, and 'gratis' which means at no cost. It wouldn't hurt to add the word 'gratis' to English as it's commonly used.
I use it quite a bit. It's Latin.
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Re: Free software vs non-free software

Post by Arch_Enemy »

tovian wrote:@MintBean: I guess I understand although your reference to free beer is confusing. If you know of a place serving free beer I would be grateful if you'd let me know about it.

Yeah, @MintBean. If you know a place that has free beer, let's have it!
I have travelled 37629424162.9 miles in my lifetime

One thing I would suggest, create a partition as a 50G partition as /. Partition the rest as /Home. IF the system fails, reinstall and use the exact same username and all your 'stuff' comes back to you.
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Re: Free software vs non-free software

Post by Bolle1961 »

Arch_Enemy wrote:
tovian wrote:@MintBean: I guess I understand although your reference to free beer is confusing. If you know of a place serving free beer I would be grateful if you'd let me know about it.

Yeah, @MintBean. If you know a place that has free beer, let's have it!
At my place you can have free beer, you only have to pay for the glasses :roll: :roll:
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Re: Free software vs non-free software

Post by tovian »

Bolle1961 wrote:At my place you can have free beer, you only have to pay for the glasses :roll: :roll:
Speaking of glasses - AND - Since this thread has already (somewhat) deteriorated...

If anyone has not seen the "Guzzle-Buddy" glasses (Wine, and now Beer). do some Google and/or Youtube searches. The damned thing even has its own website (www.guzzlebuddy.com)
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Re: [Resolved] Free software vs non-free software

Post by tovian »

Moem wrote:It wouldn't hurt to add the word 'gratis' to English as it's commonly used.
Perhaps you've been asleep through all those (one hundred years of) movies.

Not only is the word used in English, a different presentation of the same "root" word has been flashing in front of almost everyone's face for a long, long time:
A Latin version of this phrase ("ARS GRATIA ARTIS") is used as a motto by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and appears in the circle around the roaring head of Leo the Lion in its motion picture logo. (Wikipedia)
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*Source: http://logos.wikia.com/wiki/Metro-Goldw ... .80.931985
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Re: [Resolved] Free software vs non-free software

Post by Moem »

I know that it's common in Latin, and that's beside the point; it's also used in English, for sure, but not commonly. And it should be, because it's useful.
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Re: [Resolved] Free software vs non-free software

Post by MintBean »

Gratis is a word much less used in English than it deserves to be, much like the word 'carsey.'
I used the comment on 'free as in beer' as it's the illustration commonly used in the open source community. Anyways, my takeaway from this thread is that you lot like free beer. I take great solace in that fact.... :wink:
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Re: [Resolved] Free software vs non-free software

Post by tovian »

MintBean wrote:you lot like free beer. I take great solace in that fact.... :wink:
As well ye should. :D
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Re: Free software vs non-free software

Post by Arch_Enemy »

Bolle1961 wrote:
Arch_Enemy wrote:
tovian wrote:@MintBean: I guess I understand although your reference to free beer is confusing. If you know of a place serving free beer I would be grateful if you'd let me know about it.

Yeah, @MintBean. If you know a place that has free beer, let's have it!
At my place you can have free beer, you only have to pay for the glasses :roll: :roll:
I think we should all head over here!

Used to be you could go to Busch Gardens or the Budweiser Brewing Company in New Hampshire (US) and buy a cup for 25 cents (US) and fill it as many times as you could make it to the tap.

Of course, liability and the lawyers put the nix on that, and now you get 3 free ones. Or, it was. I haven't been there for years.
I have travelled 37629424162.9 miles in my lifetime

One thing I would suggest, create a partition as a 50G partition as /. Partition the rest as /Home. IF the system fails, reinstall and use the exact same username and all your 'stuff' comes back to you.
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Re: [Resolved] Free software vs non-free software

Post by Arch_Enemy »

MintBean wrote:Gratis is a word much less used in English than it deserves to be, much like the word 'carsey.'
I used the comment on 'free as in beer' as it's the illustration commonly used in the open source community. Anyways, my takeaway from this thread is that you lot like free beer. I take great solace in that fact.... :wink:

The only thing I can think of that would be better is free Scotch...
I have travelled 37629424162.9 miles in my lifetime

One thing I would suggest, create a partition as a 50G partition as /. Partition the rest as /Home. IF the system fails, reinstall and use the exact same username and all your 'stuff' comes back to you.
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Re: [Resolved] Free software vs non-free software

Post by tovian »

Arch_Enemy wrote:The only thing I can think of that would be better is free Scotch...
Yeah, you'll have to go to Scotland for that... but, you can, and they will :wink:
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Re: [Resolved] Free software vs non-free software

Post by Arch_Enemy »

tovian wrote:
Arch_Enemy wrote:The only thing I can think of that would be better is free Scotch...
Yeah, you'll have to go to Scotland for that... but, you can, and they will :wink:
I have heard that Scotch production is down because of a shortage of peat from depletion of the bogs over the years.
I believe they are afraid of letting me into the country...as well they should! :D
I have travelled 37629424162.9 miles in my lifetime

One thing I would suggest, create a partition as a 50G partition as /. Partition the rest as /Home. IF the system fails, reinstall and use the exact same username and all your 'stuff' comes back to you.
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Re: [Resolved] Free software vs non-free software

Post by tovian »

Arch_Enemy wrote:I believe they are afraid of letting me into the country...
+1

I'm told that many countries are afraid of letting you in (?) :wink: :lol:
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Re: [Resolved] Free software vs non-free software

Post by Arch_Enemy »

tovian wrote:
Arch_Enemy wrote:I believe they are afraid of letting me into the country...
+1

I'm told that many countries are afraid of letting you in (?) :wink: :lol:

I fear I will never be Big In Japan... :wink:
I have travelled 37629424162.9 miles in my lifetime

One thing I would suggest, create a partition as a 50G partition as /. Partition the rest as /Home. IF the system fails, reinstall and use the exact same username and all your 'stuff' comes back to you.
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