Forums General Discussion A huge mistake

If you visit this page
http://www.mirc.co.uk/help/linux.html

there is a big mistake, right near this text ....
..."Wine is a freeware implementation of the Windows API for Unix platforms"...

Please note that Wine is not a freeware but it is a free software. If the mirc developers doesn't know about free software, please visit
www.gnu.org
for more information.

please change that immediately

Wine, the version obtained from winehq.com, is freeware in that you do not have to pay to download it, use it or modify its source. Seems to sum up freeware to me

If you are still not clear visit
http://www.winehq.org/site/license

{
Wine is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2.1 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
}

Note the term free software there, it is not freeware. Still not clear? surf to
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html

Find text like this on that page
{
``Freeware''
Please don't use the term ``freeware'' as a synonym for ``free software.'' The term ``freeware'' was used often in the 1980s for programs released only as executables, with source code not available. Today it has no particular agreed-on definition.
Also, if you use other languages than English, please try to avoid borrowing English words such as ``free software'' or ``freeware.'' Try to use the often less ambiguous wording that your language offers, e.g
}

Whilst I understand your point (The wine license is GPL, and the GPL requests (but does not demand) that you do not use the term 'freeware'), the term 'freeware' is used to describe software that is free. Which wine is.

Terminology changes with time. For example, the original definition of a 'hacker' was a computer programmer (in that they 'hacked away' at the source code) but today a 'hacker' is used in reference to someone who illegally accesses another computer by whatever means.

So what ya gonna do, eh?

{
Terminology changes with time.
}
Isn't that our job to keep away from that.
{
For example, the original definition of a 'hacker' was a computer programmer (in that they 'hacked away' at the source code) but today a 'hacker' is used in reference to someone who illegally accesses another computer by whatever means.
}
Hacker is anyway different from a cracker. surf to
http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html
http://catb.org/~esr/faqs

I want to know what do you people think about Open source or Free Software in general, so that I can decide whether to hang out here usefully.

No? Why stop a language from naturally evolving? If we did that from the offset, we would still be going around saying 'ug'. And besides, the job of the mIRC forum is to discuss mIRC. Not necessarily the acceptable use of language.



If you ask someone what they think a hacker is, they will most likely say something along the lines of a malicious user attempting to gain unauthorized access to another computer system. Oh, btw, not even the Oxford dictionary is certain as to what the definition of a 'hacker' is. They're currently (last time I heard) in dispute over this with Eric S. Raymond, so you can't say the above with absolute certainty

Anyway, this has nothing to do with mIRC (not that this thread ever did, really, imo) so as far as I am concerned, end of discussion.

Have a nice day.

At any rate, wine is still distributed free, and the executable is distributed free--thus it is possible to classify it as freeware. Yes, you're right that the source is also included, but does that make it not free ware? No, it makes it more than freeware. I'm pretty sure that everyone would be okay in the understanding that wine is freeware, as it is the same free software.

Secondly, why are you bringing termonology from a whole different topic in to prove your point? Free software would be almost a heading which freeware would fall under. What is freeware, could be free software. Referring to what's now two different definitions however does not stress your point. A hacker is not a craker, nor is it vise versa.

Again, well all understand that Wine is free AND open source, but what is the big deal about wording? To get wine, you'd need to visit their site. Apon visitng their site, you can learn its also free software. The fact that Khlaed has mentioned an alternative should be sufficient enough. He could have said he doesn't know a linux alternative, and wine would have no "Advertisement".

Be happy with what is present, not with what isn't.

Voting Tony Blair was a huge mistake. Voting Arnold Schwarzeneggar was a huge mistake. King Thoran the Third ordering 10,000 viking helmets to have the horns put on the inside was a huge mistake.

Using the word "freeware" is not a huge mistake.

In the next class, we'll be learning about "Putting life in context."

Regards,

I fixed that small mistake.

I really don't make up statements like that myself. Most probably I got it from one of the wine websites. Maybe wine's licence varied a bit over time? See what winehq.com says about it;
June 98: Wine .... is an alternative implementation of the Windows 3.x and Win32 APIs.
Dec 98: Wine is a free implementation of Windows on Unix.

ok, thanks for the feedback, much appreciated!