Re: One word label for someone who rejects proprietary software

[Leah Rowe]

one word to describe someone who rejects proprietary software?

I have a few....
clever
genius
wise

Maybe:
democrat
libertarian

etc

i don't think it's useful to try to create such a single word noun
though

On Thu, 13
Feb 2020 21:42:07 +0000 Connor Doherty <cnnr_dhrty@live.com> wrote:

> So what you're suggesting is... We identify as "freegan"? :P
> 
> Seriously though, it's bad enough that we don't even have a one-word
> noun for freedom-respecting software to begin with. 'Freeware' would
> be perfect, but it's taken. "Free software" is two words, perpetually
> ambiguous to newcomers, and doesn't even beat "open source" in number
> of syllables. "Libre software"  subtracts the ambiguity problem and
> trades it for the problem of being a mouthful for English-only
> speakers, with its awkward-to-pronounce loanword. "Libreware" still
> has the problem, and so does "libre" alone, which could concisely
> describe some software but can't be used as a noun. "Non-proprietary"
> has a bit of all of the above problems, and tends to shift the focus
> onto whether or not some software is proprietary rather than whether
> or not it is free.
> 
> A pretty miserable linguistic sphere overall. We really shouldn't let
> this be a reason people end up using Open Source terminology instead.
> 
> My favorite solution overall is "freedomware". I thought of it but
> then found out it's already been defined in e.g. Wiktionary, with the
> proper definition. It's just little known I guess. It matches the
> number of syllables in "open source" and beats the full "open source
> software". It contains familiar English words - one of which
> ("freedom") they may already have positive feelings towards
> (especially newcomers) but in a new context (-ware) that won't have
> them assuming they know what it means (like freeware). When they do
> ask, they ask precisely the right question for further advocacy
> ("Wait, what freedom?") and not intermediate questions ("what's libre
> mean?") or mistaken questions ("free? why should I avoid paid-for
> software?") or simply not asking, and assuming you're just cheap.
> Freedomware is also conveniently a perfect subset of its own
> definition, when you expand it to simply "freedom-respecting
> software".
> 
> Anyway, just an idea. I submitted a LibrePlanet talk on this topic
> last year but didn't make the list. Still think it'd be a great
> reform for our mission. On Feb 13, 2020, at 14:47, Roberto Beltran
> via libreplanet-discuss
> <libreplanet-discuss@libreplanet.org<mailto:libreplanet-discuss@libreplanet.org>>
> wrote:
> 
> Hey everyone,
> 
> It occurred to me that there isn't really a good one-word way of
> describing someone who rejects proprietary software on ethical
> grounds. For example there's "vegan" for people who don't consume
> animal products on ethical grounds. I know there is a derogatory term
> that exists, and another which is specific to someone who agrees with
> RMS, but there is no general positive term that we could all use.
> Even a short phrase seems difficult because you could say "free
> software advocate" but you can reject proprietary software on ethical
> grounds without doing any advocacy.
> 
> I think this would be good so people can self-identify, and it might
> help bring the idea into common thought.
> 
> If anyone has any ideas, please share.
> 
> Kind Regards,
> Roberto Beltran
> https://libremiami.org/
>    Hey everyone,
> 
>    It occurred to me that there isn't really a good one-word way of
>    describing someone who rejects proprietary software on ethical
> grounds. For example there's "vegan" for people who don't consume
> animal products on ethical grounds. I know there is a derogatory term
> that exists, and another which is specific to someone who agrees with
> RMS, but there is no general positive term that we could all use.
> Even a short phrase seems difficult because you could say "free
> software advocate" but you can reject proprietary software on ethical
> grounds without doing any advocacy.
> 
>    I think this would be good so people can self-identify, and it
> might help bring the idea into common thought.
> 
>    If anyone has any ideas, please share.
> 
>    Kind Regards,
> 
>    Roberto Beltran
> 
>    [1]https://libremiami.org/
> 
> References
> 
>    1. https://libremiami.org/
> 
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> 
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> libreplanet-discuss@libreplanet.org
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