Gratis versus Libre
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gratis versus Libre is the distinction between 'zero price' (gratis) and 'freedom' (libertad). Gratis appears in many English dictionaries, including the Oxford English Dictionary. However, libre usually does not at present, and no English adjective signifies freedom only. This distinction is often important in dealing with laws concerning the use of information, such as copyright and patents. The terms are often used in the free software and open source communities, as well as the broader free culture movement, to categorize computer programs according to the licenses and legal restrictions that cover them. Both this expression and the term gratis are used to distinguish freeware (gratis software) from free software.
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[edit] Gratis
Gratis is the plural ablative and dative form of the first declension noun "grātia" in Latin and used as an adjective in various Romance and Germanic languages (for example, Italian, Spanish and German) meaning "for free," in the sense that one does not have to pay for some good or service (free of charge), even though the good or service has value.
See also gift.
[edit] Libre
Libre is a word in various Romance languages, such as Spanish and French (descended from the Latin word līber), that denotes the state of being free, as in "having freedom".
[edit] Free as in free beer
As the word free in English does not distinguish between gratis and libre, members of the free software community will draw a distinction between free as in free speech (libre) and free as in free beer (gratis, gratuit). By "Free software", they mean libre.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links and references
- Free, as in Beer by Lawrence Lessig
- "Free as in speech and beer" book by Darren Wershler-Henry
- Say "Libre" and discussion regarding knowledge and learning resources.
- Stallman's discussion of FreeAsInBeer
- 'Wired' on the first open source beer
