Free as in Sausage Making: Inside the Debian Project

[hartmans]

Recently, we’ve been having some discussion around the use of non-free software and services in doing our Debian work. In judging consensus surrounding a discussion of Git packaging, I said that we do not have a consensus to forbid the use of non-free services like Github. I stand behind that consensus call. Ian Jackson, who initially thought that

Comments

Free Software

[anonymous]

This is enlightening. The explanation of free software I've usually seen described it as free as in beer, which always confused me - I've always had to pay for my beer. So I've always assumed it referred to freedom to act as your own muse tells you. But you say it really refers to using free tools and services to build with. It's amazing how political that gets and how tyrannical the resulting decisions can sound.

I've been a software developer for 40 years (I'm recently retired) and always bought my own tools/ide's, etc., following the model of professional carpenters, who generally buy their own tools. I kind of wonder if carpenters demanded free tools would our homes be safe to live in?