<Dl> <Dt> Technology </Dt> </Dl> <P> TANSTAAFL is sometimes used as a response to claims of the virtues of free software . Supporters of free software often counter that the use of the term "free" in this context is primarily a reference to a lack of constraint ("libre") rather than a lack of cost ("gratis"). Richard Stallman has described it as "' free' as in' free speech,' not as in' free beer"'. </P> <P> The prefix "TANSTAA -" (or "TINSTAA -") is used in numerous other contexts as well to denote some immutable property of the system being discussed . For example, "TANSTAANFS" is used by electrical engineering professors to stand for "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Noise - Free System". </P> <Dl> <Dt> Sports </Dt> </Dl>

There's no such thing as a free lunch idiom