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ad supported <> free

I wish people would stop echoing that. It would make it so much more possible to have a meaningful discourse about ad supported business models. We don't call anything else that requires something in return "free"

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Well sure we do. We call "free software" free, even though it requires that any distributed changes are accompanied with source. Of course, the free software people are also constantly up in arms that the world doesn't use their specific desired definitions of words. I guess you're in good company.

Don't we? I think most people would describe terrestrial radio, OTA television, etc. as 'free'.

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