this post was submitted on 17 Feb 2024
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Programming

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[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Well, then you have to find another name for that kind of software and define it that way. I certainly would support such an effort, i.e. to make software available to everyone at no cost.

There's no need to come up with new terms or change the existing ones. Free software is inherently free in price. And you can't enforce paying for software without the restrictions put in place (e.g. drm). Here's a quote from https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/selling.en.html :

With free software, users don't have to pay the distribution fee in order to use the software. They can copy the program from a friend who has a copy, or with the help of a friend who has network access. Or several users can join together, split the price of one CD-ROM, then each in turn can install the software. A high CD-ROM price is not a major obstacle when the software is free.

Free software can have a price, but paying it is optional.