Every time I start using the phrase "free software" instead of "open source" software in the context of people who are not familiar with what either of those terms mean, I invariably get questions about free (as in beer) software. "Where can I get free software to do x-and-such - we don't have a technology budget." "How can I find free software to do y-and-z?"

Yes, it is up to me to make sure people understand what "free" means (like as in "kittens") - but it is these kinds of responses that send me back, invariably, to using the phrase "open source."

I do think, on a philosophical level, using the term "free software" is to be preferred. But I wonder how much education we'll have to do before people understand what that term "free software" really means, and why the word "free" is so much deeper, and so much more important, than something that doesn't cost any money.

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