Defining the Movements

Just as 'death duties' and 'estate taxes' refer to the same concept but are used by different groups of people, so too do synonyms of 'libre' have particular connotations.

Typically, the words 'free' and 'freedom' are associated with the Free Software Foundation, which argues that traditional copyright tramples on the rights of consumers. In their eyes, free software is a moral necessity.

By contrast, the words 'open' and 'openness' are associated with the Open Source Initiative, which argues that open source is a more efficient and cost-effective model for software creation. In their eyes, open source is a pragmatic alternative to traditional copyright.