+ Free, open or proprietary ? +

"Software is a tool, a compilation of code that directs computer hardware, a program that empowers people to work more productively. Before Richard Stallman founded the GNU Project, many outside of hacker communities would have reasonably asked: why on earth is the ethics of software distribution philosophically interesting? But by formalising hacker conventions, Stallman kickstarted a revolution in the industry that now raises profound questions about areas of philosophical interest, most notably property. However, the precise differences between Stallman?s conception of ?free software?, the term ?open source? and the alternative: ?proprietary? are often confused. This article seeks to disentangle the issues and present a clear analysis of each approach to software licensing."