I read http://slashdot.org every day because it has a lot of interesting news
about the computer business and computer culture.
Today there was an article about how the US Department of Defense (that's the
military) is sometimes afraid to use "Open Source" software which is what some people call Linux:
DoD Wary of That "Open" Word
They say that some military types do not like the word "open" because it sounds
insecure and dangerous. So I replied that maybe we should be using the phrase
"Free Software" to describe what Linux is which was the original term for it
until maybe 7 years ago when a guy named Eric Raymond made the phrase "Open
Source" popular. Many people really liked my comment and gave it a very high
score. Many people have replied to it. But the best reply so far is this one:
"Free Software" intentionally invokes Cold War
He talks about Free Software, freedom, the Cold War, communism, etc. Very
interesting discussion and ideas.
