FOSS

The term Free/Libre and Open Source Software (FLOSS or FOSS) was popularised by a June 2001 to October 2002 European Commission project on the subject. In July 2002 a survey and study report of the workshop portion was produced and gave wider publicity for the term. Since then various other official studies and online articles have used this acronym. (ex: "Free as in Education: Significance of the Free/Libre and Open Source Software for Developing Countries" by Niranjan Rajani ).

This term combines - in a pronouncable way - the concepts of Free software and Open source as defined by the FSF and the OSI. It makes it easier to talk about one movement and not ignore the other, and as such, can be used as a compromise term palatable to adherents of either movement.

It also emphasises the libre meaning of the word "free" rather than the "free of charge" or gratis meaning which those unfamiliar with the subject might assume.

This all-inclusive acronym has the extra advantage of being non-anglo-centric:

the F stands for Frei in German while the L stands for Libre in French and Spanish, Livre in Portuguese and Libero in Italian, showing that the concepts and their implementation are not exclusive to the english-speaking world.

Another term synonymous with FLOSS is non-proprietary software.