Re: propose: `cypherpunks license' (Re: Wanted: Twofish source code)

[Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org>]

Since you've quoted Juliet, let's look at what she is really saying.

Your topic is terminology and whether it matters, but Juliet has other
concerns on her mind.  She uses Romeo's family name as a figure of
speech, a stand-in for his family.  When she says his name is
unimportant, she really means that his family ties should be
unimportant.

To make her meaning clear (once we decode the figure of speech),
Juliet depends on our knowing clearly what "Montague" refers to.  She
depends on the meanings of words, and names, in order to make her
point, even when she uses the meanings indirectly.  All speech does.

When you use words that have meanings, your choice of words determines
what you say.  Consider "pro-life" and "anti-abortion": they are used
to refer to the same people, but say very different things about them.
When you speak about them, your choice of terms will communicate an
opinion.  If you care about the abortion issue, you probably care
which opinion you convey.

It's the same for "open source" and "free software".  They refer to
the same software, but say very different things about it.  So how
about giving people an accurate idea of what I say?  Even if you don't
agree with me, you can still do that.