Posted 11/20/08 at 05:00:42 PM by David Murphy

Open-source?  Freeware?  Which is it? Some people frequently interchange the terms as a generic way to say that a piece of software costs nothing to download or use.  I mean, it's all free, right?

Wrong!

Open-source software has as much to do with freeware as an apple has to do with an orange.  Both are fruits, but each offers a different enough of a texture and flavor to render it completely unique from the other.  You cannot, and should not, confuse open-source software with freeware, as there can be grave consequences for such a fatal misstep.  Ok, so maybe not grave.  But you can get slapped with a lawsuit depending on how you're using the software, and that's certainly not fun.  But we're not here to confuse you; we're here to help you.  What exactly are the differences between open-source software and freeware?  Find out after the jump!

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