Z:gnu-www-ja-digital-inclusion-in-freedom--e42463-Many argue that free/libre sof/en

Many argue that free/libre software is impossible on theoretical economic grounds. Some of them misinterpret free/libre software as &ldquo;gratis software&rdquo;; others understand the term correctly, but either way they claim that businesses will never want to develop such software. Combining this with a theoretical premise such as &ldquo;Useful software can only be developed by paying programmers,&rdquo; they conclude that free software could never exist. This argument is typically presented elliptically in the form of a question such as, &ldquo;How can programmers make a living if software is free?&rdquo; Both premises, as well as the conclusion, contradict well-known facts; perhaps the elliptical questions are meant to obscure the premises so people will not compare them with the facts.