[LibreQoS] Free as in Freedom - a response to the latest discussion in our support chat

[LibreQoS] Free as in Freedom - a response to the latest discussion in our support chat

[Frantisek Borsik]

Hello to all,

We have decided to write this blog post as a longer response addressing
latest discussion in our support chat re: LibreQoS pricing:


*https://devblog.libreqos.com/posts/0015-free-as-in-freedom/
<https://devblog.libreqos.com/posts/0015-free-as-in-freedom/>*

English really is a wretched language in some ways. “Free” can mean
“Freedom” and can mean “Without Charge”. The French have a much better
system, with “libre” (free as in freedom) and “livre” (free as in free
beer) being separate words. That’s led to decades of confusion and debate -
but ultimately, I think we can defer to Richard Stallman (founder of GNU
and the GPL) for a definition:

“When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not price,”
> advised Stallman in the GPL’s preamble. By the late 1980s, Stallman had
> refined it to a more simple mnemonic: “Don’t think free as in free beer;
> think free as in free speech.” (1 - page 132)


If you dig into Stallman’s writings (I highly recommend it), you’ll see
that he’s addressed this time and time again. He’s even said that
dual-licensing is fine, GPL software can carry a price (it’s free so long
as the source remains free - you can charge for access to the software;
otherwise, Red Hat wouldn’t have been able to succeed).


All the best,

Frank

Frantisek (Frank) Borsik


*In loving memory of Dave Täht: *1965-2025

https://libreqos.io/2025/04/01/in-loving-memory-of-dave/


https://www.linkedin.com/in/frantisekborsik

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