Questions tagged [free-software]
45 questions
67
votes
7 answers
Are there open source alternatives to Bitbucket, Github, Kiln, and similar DVCS browsing and management tools?
I am aware of several tools/services that provide DVCS browsing and management such as Bitbucket, Github, Kiln, SCM-Manager and Rhodecode.
However, the use case I am considering is one such that:
Any source code must reside on an employers internal…
Ryan Taylor
- 1,026
- 1
- 9
- 14
46
votes
3 answers
Is Java free/open source or not?
On November 13, 2006, Sun released much of Java as free and open source software, (FOSS), under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL). On May 8, 2007, Sun finished the process, making all of Java’s core code available under free…
Tulains Córdova
- 39,201
- 12
- 97
- 154
33
votes
6 answers
My software is hosted on a "bad" website. Can I do anything about it?
Edit: Thanks for all of the answers, guys! I think I'm just going to include some kind of text on my webpage telling users to only download from the links provided. The thing is that there have been some legitimate and illegitimate websites that…
Abluescarab
- 521
- 5
- 14
31
votes
3 answers
Why is UML not used in most free software (e.g. on Linux)?
I'm trying to understand why UML is not used in most free software projects. For example, my Debian/Linux system has probably more than ten thousand free software packages, and I cannot name even one which has been developed using explicit UML…
Basile Starynkevitch
- 32,434
- 6
- 84
- 125
19
votes
8 answers
Why freeware (closed-source) instead of open-source?
I'm wondering why some people release software as freeware, yet they don't release the source code. Why is that? I can think of some reasons, yet most of them don't make very much sense. Why would you want to keep the source closed but let the…
Anto
- 11,157
- 13
- 67
- 103
19
votes
3 answers
License for freeware but closed source application
I have developed a simple application which I want to put release for free but I'm not planning releasing the source code. I want the application to be freely available but I do not want anyone to sell it or reverse engineer it. MIT License looks…
Giorgi
- 768
- 1
- 9
- 10
19
votes
6 answers
What are the common revenue models for free-software companies?
People have to eat, even developers of 'free as in beer' software. So I wonder, what are some of the common revenue models that are used by such companies when they aren't directly selling the software? I know one or two (advertising and support…
Steven Evers
- 28,200
- 10
- 75
- 159
18
votes
6 answers
Open Source but not Free Software (or vice versa)
The definition of "Free Software" from the Free Software Foundation:
“Free software” is a matter of
liberty, not price. To understand the
concept, you should think of “free” as
in “free speech,” not as in “free
beer.”
Free software is a…
TRiG
- 1,170
- 1
- 11
- 21
17
votes
7 answers
How successful is GPL in reaching its goals?
There are, broadly, two types of FOSS licenses when it relates to commercial usage of the code - let's say the GPL-type and the BSD-type. The first is, broadly, restrictive about commercial usage (by usage I also mean modification and…
StasM
- 3,377
- 2
- 23
- 28
15
votes
4 answers
How can I get free artwork for my free software?
So many free software projects have beautiful art, specially websites, that I wonder where the coders meet their artists. Is there some place to ask for this besides the local art majors' schoolboard? I thought of IRC, but I fear that one might…
konr
- 261
- 1
- 5
13
votes
8 answers
How do I (quickly) let people know that software I am providing for free is not abandon-ware?
As an independent, individual programmer:
How do I let people very quickly know that I have not abandoned the software I've written and given away for free? That I am putting in the effort required to maintain and support my software to a…
blueberryfields
- 13,200
- 8
- 51
- 87
12
votes
1 answer
Is Java free software?
Free software as defined by FSF.
Are its standard libraries free/open source?
Is its implementation free/open source? Which parts of it are not free/open source?
Any other relevant information.
Rohit Agarwal
- 343
- 3
- 8
11
votes
1 answer
Using GPL’d software in a proprietary web application
We are developing website that we charge money from members to join it as membership annual cost, so, we decided to put a plan for the second stage so we are choosing now the load balancer that we will use for our web application. I suggested…
Saaid Samer
- 119
- 1
- 4
11
votes
11 answers
How should one handle "free projects"? Should one accept them or not?
Ok, as a software engineer, I feel that my skills are valuable in other contexts, for instance, a friend came to me and asked me to setup a website for her research and I did it for free. At first I thought it would put my name out there and give me…
wleao
- 1,402
- 1
- 9
- 14
7
votes
3 answers
Is it ok to use VS Express edition to create small utilities at work?
I am developer working mainly in C# who has now been assigned to a Data Migration project. (Sad story, I know. But that's for another day). We are currently creating column-to-column mapping between tables in an Excel worksheet in a particular…
Mayank
- 1,397
- 2
- 13
- 19