does a free license make software free?

[chrysn]

Am 2007-08-29 11:20, Diogo Santos schrieb:
> FSF considers Apache License 2.0 a Free Software License.
> I consider that Apache license (and others), can be used in Free Software. But
> due too it's weaknesses, using Apache License to license the software, isn't by
> itself enough to consider the software under that license to be Free Software.
> Maybe FSF sees it also this way, but calls it a Free Software licence, to
> simplify. Does anyone from FSF wants to comment this? Is this it?
>
> I belive that althoug not intentional this is misleading. Maybe FSF should say
> that Apache License (and other similar in that terms), maybe used to license
> software copyrights, of Free Software, but isn't enough to consider it Free
> Software.
>   
i think it is not a specific problem about the apache license -- you 
could do the same thing even with gpl, i suppose.
if you write a program on your own, you can distribute it under any 
license without any obligations firing back to you; these first take 
effect when you use foreign code. i think it is a general 
misunderstanding about free licenses.

regards
chrysn