Brendan Tompkins

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Does Open Source Need a New Name?

This conversation has come up again, the Open Source versus Source Available debate.  A couple of things occur to me as I've been thinking about this. 

The Open Source movement picked a bad name.  The term "Open Source" just doesn't  encompass all of the nuances of this licensing model.  Sure, I understand that the ability to branch code, and having the license to do anything are essential concepts to the success of some software projects, but these don't seem to have anything to do with the "Source" code being "Open."

Perhaps it's time for a new name for this kind of software, perhaps it's too late.  I dunno.  I can't help but think in bad analogies, so here's one:

At one time, Vegetarian meant "I only eat veggies."  Everyone who mostly ate veggies started using the name, and so a new name was needed for those that really only ate veggies - Vegan.   This worked out for them.  Sure, they could have spent their time chastising everyone who used the term vegetarian, to keep the moniker pure, but they just moved on.  It was a helpful thing for them to do. Now, when someone says I'm a Vegan, we know exactly what they're talking about (and not to invite them over for dinner).

Perhaps a new name is needed for true Open Source.  That way, when I want to compile my own version of the app in question, I only need to make sure it's "Open Source." This is the reason I love Community Server, to me it's "Open Plenty."  When I want to use code in another app, start a business around it, or be completely unfettered to do whatever I feel like with the code, I need this other thing... Vegan Open Source?


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Posted Thu, Jul 27 2006 12:39 PM by Brendan Tompkins

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Comments

johnwood wrote re: Does Open Source Need a New Name?
on Thu, Jul 27 2006 1:33 PM
Isn't that public domain source?
Tony wrote re: Does Open Source Need a New Name?
on Thu, Jul 27 2006 2:29 PM
Why invent a new term for the same thing? I don't think "Source Available" carries any greater inherent meaning than "Open Source" anyway.

The term has been polluted somewhat, but there is an official mark with standards for those who want to define things more exactly - see http://www.opensource.org/docs/definition.php. You can also look for code by licensing: GPL, BSD, etc.

Also, point taken but bad example offered: my understanding is that vegetarians are those who don't eat meat, while vegans forgo ANY animal products (milk, eggs, etc.). To my knowledge, these meanings haven't ever changed.
Chad wrote re: Does Open Source Need a New Name?
on Thu, Jul 27 2006 2:41 PM
That's not entirely correct.  Vegetarians eat veggies, and can eat animal byproducts (milk, cheese, etc).  Vegans don't eat any animal byproducts.  I don't care what other people say -- if you eat a steak or a hamburger once a week you are NOT a vegetarian!

Guess what?  Naming conventions are screwed up in other areas as well.  8*)
Brendan Tompkins wrote re: Does Open Source Need a New Name?
on Thu, Jul 27 2006 4:31 PM
From Wikipedia: Origin of the name Vegan

"The word vegan, usually pronounced /ˈviːgən/ [vee-gun], was originally derived from vegetarian in 1944 when Elsie Shrigley and Donald Watson, frustrated that the term "vegetarianism" had come to include the eating of dairy products, founded the UK Vegan Society. They combined the first three and last two letters of vegetarian to form "vegan", which they saw as "the beginning and end of vegetarian"."

Not to defend my analogies, since they're usually half-baked and marginally fitting at best.  :)
Matt wrote re: Does Open Source Need a New Name?
on Thu, Jul 27 2006 5:07 PM
"Perhaps a new name is needed for true Open Source."

That's exactly what "free software" means.
Chad wrote re: Does Open Source Need a New Name?
on Fri, Jul 28 2006 9:46 AM
Hmm, I never heard that.  Thanks for the info!
Eric Wise wrote re: Does Open Source Need a New Name?
on Fri, Jul 28 2006 9:56 AM
I have a similar hybrid with my Easy Assets license agreement.  The gist of it is: You can modify the source however you want and use it internally.  You may not resell, redistribute, lease, etc etc etc basically anything that could make a profit without me getting a cut.

Thus I have the benefit of opening the source for people that need tweaks, but at the same time I have legalese to stop people from running off and making a profit off my labor.
Community Server Daily News wrote Community Server Daily News for Friday, July 28, 2006
on Fri, Jul 28 2006 3:40 PM
news of the day a grab bag for what's happening in Community Server Since being posted 24 hours ago,
Chad Myers wrote re: Does Open Source Need a New Name?
on Fri, Jul 28 2006 6:15 PM
Well, if we're using the Vegan analogy, then TRUE, pureblood FREE (as in speech) open source software would be (wait for it...)

OPECE!
Tester wrote re: Does Open Source Need a New Name?
on Wed, Aug 2 2006 9:19 AM
That's hysterical chad!
Dalibor Topic wrote re: Does Open Source Need a New Name?
on Mon, Aug 28 2006 7:38 AM

That other term is called Free Software, where 'Free' stands for freedom, rather than price. See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html

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