zlacker

The requirement of Free Software is to respect the four essential freedoms [1], one of which explicitly talks about 'community'. And the essay that lays out the four freedoms begins with this very line :

> “Free software” means software that respects users' freedom and community.

(my italics)

This is why, while 'FOSS' can sometimes serve as a useful, rough grouping, the need to distinguish Free Software from Open Source is an important one. The two are not the same. The author of the submitted piece, of course, talks only about Open Source.

[1] https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.en.html#four-freedoms

>>oska+(OP)
Respecting community does not mean creating community. FOSS allows people to collaborate freely, it does not force people to collaborate.