rebrand the term "open source" and "FLOSS"
I have been involved in several branding projects and the free software is an area with not so good names that meet typical branding criteria, such as easy to pronounce, work in most languages, no abbreviation, sounds nice or says immediately what it stands for.
I am developing and working exclusively with software, where the code is public. More than that, the licenses usually also allow to adapt and improve the code. That way, no backdoors for spying or profiling can be part of the software I use, as the algorithms and ingredients are fully transparent. The business model of programmers, that are contributing to those softwares, is usually not based on licensing, but on consulting, or agreements for providing support.
Various terms are being used for that kind of software:
- open source
- FLOSS (Free/Libre Open Source Software)
- Freie Software
The "free/libre" part is important, as they give (in the case of the GPL license)
- the freedom to use the software for any purpose,
- the freedom to change the software to suit your needs,
- the freedom to share the software with your friends and neighbors, and
- the freedom to share the changes you make.
The Debian Free Software Guidelines (DFSG) are the cornerstone for any license meeting the criteria of the Open Source Initiative.
The SPDX listing is covering hundreds of licenses, where many of them meet some or all of those criteria. However, some Open Source licenses only permit you to study the code, not to adapt or redistribute it. Yes, OS / FLOSS is a big jursitic djungle.
Yet in a completely different context, similar terms are being used. The ANon community, known for finding proofs for e.g. chemtrails, is applying "open source investigation". However they do not use open source tools, but publicly available data and content. See also my Toot on Mastodon.
Maybe it is time to start a rebranding process. None of the terms being used in the last 20 years for transparent, collaboratively developed and open software meets modern branding criteria. It should clearly communicate what it is about. Any abbreviation is not self-explaining for newcomers or end-users and thus should be avoided.
A first idea is to use the term TRANSOFT. Transparency and allowing transition or transport are common criteria of FLOSS. Another approach is to put the way people interact in FLOSS projects in focus and call the software they produce FAIRWARE.