For quite a while, I thought that Free Software was Open Source Software. I've found out that this view is incorrect, and that Open Source Software is not necessarily Free Software. I honestly can't see any differences.
What am I missing here? What are the distinguishing traits of both parties?
Open source definition: http://opensource.org/docs/osd
Free software defintion: http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html
Both are talking about free-as-in-speech. FSF is "more free" in that for software to meet the FSF standards, it must afford more freedoms to its users. The OSI standards are looser, "free" software is "open" but the reverse isn't necessarily true - It turns out even this isn't always true.
They are functionally the same in the vast majority of cases. It's a philosophical difference - FSF wants intellectual freedom, OSI wants practical freedom to (re)use and adapt software.
Freeware software is just small software which are free but their codes are not accessible.It can be downloaded ,used ,copied without restrictions.
Shareware software are just a demo version of the full software developed by small software company and the modification and other usability lies with the development group.Here end user dependencies is more.
Open source software are just software developed often by large vendors which are re distribuable ,used and modifiable with out any restrictions.Here codes of the software are fully accessed by the user for future modification and making of large software.