What is the difference between free as in beer and free as in speech?

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22 points·peter_d_sherman··14 comments

Other languages have other problems. In Polish, free as in beer is "darmowe", free as in speech is "wolne", which can also mean "slow".

And: how come there is free beer, but no such thing as free lunch?

Count your blessings you're not being offered free lunch.

And a follow-up: why do such confusing phrases persist instead of being replaced with something clear?

Like instead of the "free software movement" the "software freedom movement"

Complimentary software

I think it's an alright analogy. Beer isn't normally free of charge, and typically has age restrictions.

Freedom of speech per the US constitution, with special exceptions, congress shall make no law... abridging... I.. it cannot be regulated; it's yours and the government can't dictate the terms.

They were popularized in academia: political activism on weekdays, keggers on the weekends.

A committee voted on it.

Sounds like something Louis Carroll might have had fun with

And: how come the truth is paywalled, but the lies are free?

The lies are subsidized by those with a financial interest in the public believing those lies.

By truth are you referring to scientific articles? I'm not disputing how true or not true scientific articles are. I'm just unclear about what kind of information you were referring to.

Is this a political rally now?

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