Talk
Intermediate

Not Free as in Free Beer

Approved

"Not Free as in Free Beer: The Libre-Gratis Distinction in FOSS" examines the fundamental philosophical divide at the heart of open source software. We need to understand why FOSS also needs a license. Drawing on Richard Stallman's clarification that free software means "free as in freedom, not free as in beer," this presentation will unpack how these nuances shape community expectations, business models, and sustainability strategies. At the end of it, we need to understand if FOSS is really free. In this talk I will explore how successful FOSS projects and companies navigate the libre-gratis tension and handle the license quagmire while preserving the essential freedoms that define the movement. By reframing the conversation around these more precise terms, developers, advocates, and organizations can better articulate FOSS's importance beyond the misleading simplicity of "free."

None
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_as_in_Freedom - Richard Stallmans idea about Free as in Freedom
FOSS
shripad agashe
Engineering Director Deserve
Speaker Image
66 %
Approvability
2
Approvals
1
Rejections
0
Not Sure
I wish this was more detailed. Please refer to the proposal guidelines - https://forum.fossunited.org/t/talk-proposal-guidelines-for-a-foss-conference-meetup/1923
Reviewer #1
Rejected
This seems to be a good talk in terms of what software freedom actually means - also seems to be coming from good experience.
Reviewer #2
Approved
Reviewer #3
Approved