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1 yavor 1.95 <!--#include virtual="/server/header.html" -->
2 ineiev 1.150 <!-- Parent-Version: 1.79 -->
3 ineiev 1.123 <title>What is free software?
4     - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title>
5 johnsu01 1.45
6 mattl 1.55 <meta http-equiv="Keywords" content="GNU, FSF, Free Software Foundation, Linux, Emacs, GCC, Unix, Free Software, Operating System, GNU Kernel, HURD, GNU HURD, Hurd" />
7     <meta http-equiv="Description" content="Since 1983, developing the free Unix style operating system GNU, so that computer users can have the freedom to share and improve the software they use." />
8 johnsu01 1.45
9 ineiev 1.120 <!--#include virtual="/philosophy/po/free-sw.translist" -->
10 mattl 1.52 <!--#include virtual="/server/banner.html" -->
11 wkotwica 1.24
12 brett 1.107 <h2>What is free software?</h2>
13    
14 rms 1.151 <blockquote class="note" id="fsf-licensing"><p style="font-size: 80%">
15     Have a question about free software licensing not answered here?
16     See our other <a href="http://www.fsf.org/licensing">licensing resources</a>,
17     and if necessary contact the FSF Compliance Lab
18     at <a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">licensing@fsf.org</a>.</p>
19     </blockquote>
20    
21 brett 1.107 <h3>The Free Software Definition</h3>
22 webcvs 1.1
23 rms 1.110 <blockquote>
24 ineiev 1.112 <p>
25 rms 1.110 The free software definition presents the criteria for whether a
26     particular software program qualifies as free software. From time to
27     time we revise this definition, to clarify it or to resolve questions
28     about subtle issues. See the <a href="#History">History section</a>
29     below for a list of changes that affect the definition of free
30     software.
31 ineiev 1.112 </p>
32 rms 1.110 </blockquote>
33    
34     <p>
35     &ldquo;Free software&rdquo; means software that respects users'
36 rms 1.127 freedom and community. Roughly, it means that <b>the users have the
37     freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the
38     software</b>. Thus, &ldquo;free software&rdquo; is a matter of
39     liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of
40     &ldquo;free&rdquo; as in &ldquo;free speech,&rdquo; not as in
41 rms 1.139 &ldquo;free beer&rdquo;. We sometimes call it &ldquo;libre
42 rms 1.148 software,&rdquo; borrowing the French or Spanish word for
43     &ldquo;free&rdquo; as in freedom, to show we do not mean the software
44     is gratis.
45 rms 1.110 </p>
46    
47 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
48 rms 1.127 We campaign for these freedoms because everyone deserves them. With
49     these freedoms, the users (both individually and collectively) control
50     the program and what it does for them. When users don't control the
51     program, we call it a &ldquo;nonfree&rdquo; or
52     &ldquo;proprietary&rdquo; program. The nonfree program controls the
53 rms 1.128 users, and the developer controls the program; this makes the
54 rms 1.127 program <a href="/philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html">
55     an instrument of unjust power</a>.
56 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
57    
58 th_g 1.149 <h4> The four essential freedoms</h4>
59    
60 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
61 rms 1.110 A program is free software if the program's users have the
62     four essential freedoms:
63 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
64 webcvs 1.1
65 wkotwica 1.24 <ul>
66 rms 1.135 <li>The freedom to run the program as you wish,
67     for any purpose (freedom 0).</li>
68 rms 1.105 <li>The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it
69     does your computing as you wish (freedom 1). Access to the source
70     code is a precondition for this.
71 sinuhe 1.48 </li>
72 wkotwica 1.24 <li>The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor
73 sinuhe 1.48 (freedom 2).
74     </li>
75 rms 1.90 <li>The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions
76     to others (freedom 3). By doing this you can give the whole
77     community a chance to benefit from your changes.
78 sinuhe 1.48 Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
79     </li>
80 wkotwica 1.24 </ul>
81 webcvs 1.1
82 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
83 rms 1.125 A program is free software if it gives users adequately all of these
84     freedoms. Otherwise, it is nonfree. While we can distinguish various
85     nonfree distribution schemes in terms of how far they fall short of
86     being free, we consider them all equally unethical.</p>
87    
88 rms 1.141 <p>In any given scenario, these freedoms must apply to whatever code
89     we plan to make use of, or lead others to make use of. For instance,
90     consider a program A which automatically launches a program B to
91     handle some cases. If we plan to distribute A as it stands, that
92     implies users will need B, so we need to judge whether both A and B
93     are free. However, if we plan to modify A so that it doesn't use B,
94 rms 1.148 only A needs to be free; B is not pertinent to that plan.</p>
95 rms 1.141
96 th_g 1.149 <p>
97     &ldquo;Free software&rdquo; does not mean &ldquo;noncommercial&rdquo;. A free
98     program must be available for commercial use, commercial development,
99     and commercial distribution. Commercial development of free software
100     is no longer unusual; such free commercial software is very important.
101     You may have paid money to get copies of free software, or you may have
102     obtained copies at no charge. But regardless of how you got your copies,
103     you always have the freedom to copy and change the software, even to
104     <a href="/philosophy/selling.html">sell copies</a>.
105     </p>
106    
107 rms 1.125 <p>The rest of this page clarifies certain points about what makes
108     specific freedoms adequate or not.</p>
109    
110 th_g 1.149 <h4>The freedom to run the program as you wish</h4>
111 sinuhe 1.48
112 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
113 sinuhe 1.48 The freedom to run the program means the freedom for any kind of person
114     or organization to use it on any kind of computer system, for any kind of
115     overall job and purpose, without being required to communicate about it
116     with the developer or any other specific entity. In this freedom, it is
117     the <em>user's</em> purpose that matters, not the <em>developer's</em>
118 rms 1.88 purpose; you as a user are free to run the program for your purposes,
119 sinuhe 1.48 and if you distribute it to someone else, she is then free to run it
120     for her purposes, but you are not entitled to impose your purposes on her.
121 rms 1.46 </p>
122 sinuhe 1.48
123 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
124 rms 1.134 The freedom to run the program as you wish means that you are not
125 rms 1.153 forbidden or stopped from making it run. This has nothing to do with what
126     functionality the program has, whether it is technically capable of
127     functioning in any given environment, or whether it is useful for any
128     particular computing activity.</p>
129 rms 1.134
130 th_g 1.149 <h4>The freedom to study the source code and make changes</h4>
131 sinuhe 1.48
132 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
133 rms 1.88 In order for freedoms 1 and 3 (the freedom to make changes and the
134 rms 1.118 freedom to publish the changed versions) to be meaningful, you must have
135 rms 1.88 access to the source code of the program. Therefore, accessibility of
136 rms 1.92 source code is a necessary condition for free software. Obfuscated
137     &ldquo;source code&rdquo; is not real source code and does not count
138     as source code.
139 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
140    
141 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
142 rms 1.80 Freedom 1 includes the freedom to use your changed version in place of
143     the original. If the program is delivered in a product designed to
144 rms 1.105 run someone else's modified versions but refuse to run yours &mdash; a
145     practice known as &ldquo;tivoization&rdquo; or &ldquo;lockdown&rdquo;,
146     or (in its practitioners' perverse terminology) as &ldquo;secure
147 rms 1.137 boot&rdquo; &mdash; freedom 1 becomes an empty pretense rather than a
148     practical reality. These binaries are not free
149     software even if the source code they are compiled from is free.
150 rms 1.80 </p>
151    
152     <p>
153 rms 1.74 One important way to modify a program is by merging in available free
154     subroutines and modules. If the program's license says that you
155 rms 1.88 cannot merge in a suitably licensed existing module &mdash; for instance, if it
156     requires you to be the copyright holder of any code you add &mdash; then the
157 rms 1.74 license is too restrictive to qualify as free.
158 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
159    
160 novalis 1.40 <p>
161 th_g 1.149 Whether a change constitutes an improvement is a subjective matter.
162     If your right to modify a program is limited, in substance, to changes that
163     someone else considers an improvement, that program is not free.
164     </p>
165    
166     <h4>The freedom to redistribute if you wish: basic requirements</h4>
167    
168     <p>Freedom to distribute (freedoms 2 and 3) means you are free to
169     redistribute copies, either with or without modifications, either
170     gratis or charging a fee for distribution, to
171     <a href="#exportcontrol">anyone anywhere</a>. Being free to do these
172     things means (among other things) that you do not have to ask or pay
173     for permission to do so.
174     </p>
175    
176     <p>
177     You should also have the freedom to make modifications and use them
178     privately in your own work or play, without even mentioning that they
179     exist. If you do publish your changes, you should not be required to
180     notify anyone in particular, or in any particular way.
181     </p>
182    
183     <p>
184 rms 1.93 Freedom 3 includes the freedom to release your modified versions
185 rms 1.89 as free software. A free license may also permit other ways of
186     releasing them; in other words, it does not have to be
187     a <a href="/copyleft/copyleft.html">copyleft</a> license. However, a
188     license that requires modified versions to be nonfree does not qualify
189     as a free license.
190     </p>
191    
192     <p>
193 th_g 1.149 The freedom to redistribute copies must include binary or executable
194     forms of the program, as well as source code, for both modified and
195     unmodified versions. (Distributing programs in runnable form is necessary
196     for conveniently installable free operating systems.) It is OK if there
197     is no way to produce a binary or executable form for a certain program
198     (since some languages don't support that feature), but you must have the
199     freedom to redistribute such forms should you find or develop a way to
200     make them.
201 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
202    
203 th_g 1.149 <h4>Copyleft</h4>
204    
205 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
206 th_g 1.149 Certain kinds of rules about the manner of distributing free
207 webcvs 1.1 software are acceptable, when they don't conflict with the central
208 rms 1.138 freedoms. For example, <a href="/copyleft/copyleft.html">copyleft</a>
209     (very simply stated) is the rule that when redistributing the program,
210     you cannot add restrictions to deny other people the central freedoms.
211     This rule does not conflict with the central freedoms; rather it
212     protects them.
213 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
214    
215     <p>
216 rms 1.138 In the GNU project, we use copyleft to protect the four freedoms
217     legally for everyone. We believe there are important reasons why
218 rms 1.130 <a href="/philosophy/pragmatic.html">it is better to use
219     copyleft</a>. However,
220     <a href="/philosophy/categories.html#Non-CopyleftedFreeSoftware">
221     noncopylefted free software</a> is ethical
222     too. See <a href="/philosophy/categories.html">Categories of Free
223     Software</a> for a description of how &ldquo;free software,&rdquo;
224     &ldquo;copylefted software&rdquo; and other categories of software
225     relate to each other.
226     </p>
227    
228 th_g 1.149 <h4>Rules about packaging and distribution details</h4>
229 rms 1.74
230     <p>
231 th_g 1.149 Rules about how to package a modified version are acceptable,
232 rms 1.98 if they don't substantively limit your freedom to release modified
233     versions, or your freedom to make and use modified versions privately.
234     Thus, it is acceptable for the license to require that you change the
235     name of the modified version, remove a logo, or identify your
236     modifications as yours. As long as these requirements are not so
237     burdensome that they effectively hamper you from releasing your
238     changes, they are acceptable; you're already making other changes to
239     the program, so you won't have trouble making a few more.
240     </p>
241    
242     <p>
243     Rules that &ldquo;if you make your version available in this way, you
244     must make it available in that way also&rdquo; can be acceptable too,
245     on the same condition. An example of such an acceptable rule is one
246     saying that if you have distributed a
247     modified version and a previous developer asks for a copy of it, you
248     must send one. (Note that such a rule still leaves you the choice of
249     whether to distribute your version at all.) Rules that require release
250     of source code to the users for versions that you put into public use
251     are also acceptable.
252 rms 1.39 </p>
253 sinuhe 1.48
254 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
255 rms 1.121 A special issue arises when a license requires changing the name by
256     which the program will be invoked from other programs. That
257     effectively hampers you from releasing your changed version so that it
258     can replace the original when invoked by those other programs. This
259     sort of requirement is acceptable only if there's a suitable aliasing
260     facility that allows you to specify the original program's name as an
261     alias for the modified version.</p>
262    
263 th_g 1.149 <h4>Export regulations</h4>
264    
265 rms 1.121 <p>
266 sinuhe 1.48 Sometimes government <a id="exportcontrol">export control regulations</a>
267     and trade sanctions can constrain your freedom to distribute copies of
268     programs internationally. Software developers do not have the power to
269     eliminate or override these restrictions, but what they can and must do
270     is refuse to impose them as conditions of use of the program. In this
271     way, the restrictions will not affect activities and people outside the
272 rms 1.74 jurisdictions of these governments. Thus, free software licenses
273 rms 1.122 must not require obedience to any nontrivial export regulations as a
274     condition of exercising any of the essential freedoms.
275     </p>
276    
277     <p>
278     Merely mentioning the existence of export regulations, without making
279     them a condition of the license itself, is acceptable since it does
280     not restrict users. If an export regulation is actually trivial for
281     free software, then requiring it as a condition is not an actual
282     problem; however, it is a potential problem, since a later change in
283     export law could make the requirement nontrivial and thus render the
284     software nonfree.
285 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
286    
287 th_g 1.149 <h4>Legal considerations</h4>
288    
289     <p>
290     In order for these freedoms to be real, they must be permanent and
291     irrevocable as long as you do nothing wrong; if the developer of the
292     software has the power to revoke the license, or retroactively add
293     restrictions to its terms, without your doing anything wrong to give
294     cause, the software is not free.
295     </p>
296    
297 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
298 rms 1.131 A free license may not require compliance with the license of a
299     nonfree program. Thus, for instance, if a license requires you to
300     comply with the licenses of &ldquo;all the programs you use&rdquo;, in
301     the case of a user that runs nonfree programs this would require
302     compliance with the licenses of those nonfree programs; that makes the
303     license nonfree.
304     </p>
305    
306     <p>
307 rms 1.129 It is acceptable for a free license to specify which jurisdiction's
308     law applies, or where litigation must be done, or both.
309     </p>
310    
311 th_g 1.149 <h4>Contract-based licenses</h4>
312    
313 rms 1.129 <p>
314 sinuhe 1.48 Most free software licenses are based on copyright, and there are limits
315     on what kinds of requirements can be imposed through copyright. If a
316     copyright-based license respects freedom in the ways described above, it
317     is unlikely to have some other sort of problem that we never anticipated
318     (though this does happen occasionally). However, some free software
319     licenses are based on contracts, and contracts can impose a much larger
320     range of possible restrictions. That means there are many possible ways
321 rms 1.88 such a license could be unacceptably restrictive and nonfree.
322 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
323    
324 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
325 rms 1.41 We can't possibly list all the ways that might happen. If a
326     contract-based license restricts the user in an unusual way that
327     copyright-based licenses cannot, and which isn't mentioned here as
328 sinuhe 1.48 legitimate, we will have to think about it, and we will probably conclude
329 rms 1.88 it is nonfree.
330 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
331    
332 th_g 1.149 <h4>Use the right words when talking about free software</h4>
333    
334 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
335 sinuhe 1.48 When talking about free software, it is best to avoid using terms
336 karl 1.91 like &ldquo;give away&rdquo; or &ldquo;for free,&rdquo; because those terms imply that
337 sinuhe 1.48 the issue is about price, not freedom. Some common terms such
338 karl 1.91 as &ldquo;piracy&rdquo; embody opinions we hope you won't endorse. See
339 sinuhe 1.48 <a href="/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html">Confusing Words and Phrases that
340     are Worth Avoiding</a> for a discussion of these terms. We also have
341 rms 1.88 a list of proper <a href="/philosophy/fs-translations.html">translations of
342 karl 1.91 &ldquo;free software&rdquo;</a> into various languages.
343 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
344    
345 th_g 1.149 <h4>How we interpret these criteria</h4>
346    
347 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
348 webcvs 1.2 Finally, note that criteria such as those stated in this free software
349 sinuhe 1.48 definition require careful thought for their interpretation. To decide
350     whether a specific software license qualifies as a free software license,
351     we judge it based on these criteria to determine whether it fits their
352     spirit as well as the precise words. If a license includes unconscionable
353     restrictions, we reject it, even if we did not anticipate the issue
354     in these criteria. Sometimes a license requirement raises an issue
355     that calls for extensive thought, including discussions with a lawyer,
356     before we can decide if the requirement is acceptable. When we reach
357     a conclusion about a new issue, we often update these criteria to make
358     it easier to see why certain licenses do or don't qualify.
359     </p>
360    
361 th_g 1.149 <h4>Get help with free licenses</h4>
362    
363 sinuhe 1.48 <p>
364     If you are interested in whether a specific license qualifies as a free
365     software license, see our <a href="/licenses/license-list.html">list
366     of licenses</a>. If the license you are concerned with is not
367     listed there, you can ask us about it by sending us email at
368     <a href="mailto:licensing@gnu.org">&lt;licensing@gnu.org&gt;</a>.
369     </p>
370    
371     <p>
372 rms 1.88 If you are contemplating writing a new license, please contact the
373     Free Software Foundation first by writing to that address. The
374     proliferation of different free software licenses means increased work
375     for users in understanding the licenses; we may be able to help you
376     find an existing free software license that meets your needs.
377 novalis 1.29 </p>
378 webcvs 1.2
379 novalis 1.29 <p>
380     If that isn't possible, if you really need a new license, with our
381 rms 1.88 help you can ensure that the license really is a free software license
382 novalis 1.29 and avoid various practical problems.
383     </p>
384 sinuhe 1.48
385 dora 1.117 <h3 id="beyond-software">Beyond Software</h3>
386 rms 1.57
387     <p>
388 yavor 1.61 <a href="/philosophy/free-doc.html">Software manuals must be free</a>,
389     for the same reasons that software must be free, and because the
390     manuals are in effect part of the software.
391 rms 1.57 </p>
392    
393     <p>
394     The same arguments also make sense for other kinds of works of
395 yavor 1.61 practical use &mdash; that is to say, works that embody useful knowledge,
396 rms 1.57 such as educational works and reference
397 jrasata 1.103 works. <a href="http://wikipedia.org">Wikipedia</a> is the best-known
398 rms 1.57 example.
399     </p>
400    
401     <p>
402     Any kind of work <em>can</em> be free, and the definition of free software
403     has been extended to a definition of <a href="http://freedomdefined.org/">
404     free cultural works</a> applicable to any kind of works.
405     </p>
406    
407 dora 1.117 <h3 id="open-source">Open Source?</h3>
408 webcvs 1.1
409 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
410 jrasata 1.143 Another group uses the term &ldquo;open source&rdquo; to mean
411 joeko 1.109 something close (but not identical) to &ldquo;free software&rdquo;. We
412 karl 1.91 prefer the term &ldquo;free software&rdquo; because, once you have heard that
413 yavor 1.61 it refers to freedom rather than price, it calls to mind freedom. The
414 karl 1.91 word &ldquo;open&rdquo; <a href="/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html">
415 yavor 1.61 never refers to freedom</a>.
416 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
417 wkotwica 1.24
418 dora 1.117 <h3 id="History">History</h3>
419 brett 1.72
420 rms 1.110 <p>From time to time we revise this Free Software Definition. Here is
421 rms 1.121 the list of substantive changes, along with links to show exactly what
422     was changed.</p>
423 brett 1.72
424     <ul>
425    
426 rms 1.153 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.152&amp;r2=1.153">Version
427     1.153</a>: Clarify that freedom to run the program means nothing stops
428     you from making it run.</li>
429    
430 rms 1.141 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.140&amp;r2=1.141">Version
431     1.141</a>: Clarify which code needs to be free.</li>
432    
433 rms 1.135 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.134&amp;r2=1.135">Version
434     1.135</a>: Say each time that freedom 0 is the freedom to run the program
435     as you wish.</li>
436    
437 rms 1.134 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.133&amp;r2=1.134">Version
438     1.134</a>: Freedom 0 is not a matter of the program's functionality.</li>
439    
440 rms 1.131 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.130&amp;r2=1.131">Version
441     1.131</a>: A free license may not require compliance with a nonfree license
442     of another program.</li>
443    
444 rms 1.129 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.128&amp;r2=1.129">Version
445     1.129</a>: State explicitly that choice of law and choice of forum
446     specifications are allowed. (This was always our policy.)</li>
447    
448 rms 1.122 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.121&amp;r2=1.122">Version
449     1.122</a>: An export control requirement is a real problem if the
450     requirement is nontrivial; otherwise it is only a potential problem.</li>
451    
452 rms 1.126 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.117&amp;r2=1.118">Version
453     1.118</a>: Clarification: the issue is limits on your right to modify,
454     not on what modifications you have made. And modifications are not limited
455     to &ldquo;improvements&rdquo;</li>
456    
457 rms 1.111 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.110&amp;r2=1.111">Version
458     1.111</a>: Clarify 1.77 by saying that only
459     retroactive <em>restrictions</em> are unacceptable. The copyright
460     holders can always grant additional <em>permission</em> for use of the
461     work by releasing the work in another way in parallel.</li>
462    
463 jturner 1.108 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.104&amp;r2=1.105">Version
464     1.105</a>: Reflect, in the brief statement of freedom 1, the point
465 rms 1.105 (already stated in version 1.80) that it includes really using your modified
466     version for your computing.</li>
467    
468 rms 1.92 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.91&amp;r2=1.92">Version
469     1.92</a>: Clarify that obfuscated code does not qualify as source code.</li>
470    
471 rms 1.90 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.89&amp;r2=1.90">Version
472     1.90</a>: Clarify that freedom 3 means the right to distribute copies
473     of your own modified or improved version, not a right to participate
474     in someone else's development project.</li>
475    
476 rms 1.89 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.88&amp;r2=1.89">Version
477     1.89</a>: Freedom 3 includes the right to release modified versions as
478     free software.</li>
479    
480 rms 1.80 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.79&amp;r2=1.80">Version
481     1.80</a>: Freedom 1 must be practical, not just theoretical;
482     i.e., no tivoization.</li>
483    
484 brett 1.77 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.76&amp;r2=1.77">Version
485     1.77</a>: Clarify that all retroactive changes to the license are
486     unacceptable, even if it's not described as a complete
487     replacement.</li>
488    
489 rms 1.74 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.73&amp;r2=1.74">Version
490 rms 1.75 1.74</a>: Four clarifications of points not explicit enough, or stated
491 rms 1.74 in some places but not reflected everywhere:
492     <ul>
493     <li>"Improvements" does not mean the license can
494     substantively limit what kinds of modified versions you can release.
495     Freedom 3 includes distributing modified versions, not just changes.</li>
496     <li>The right to merge in existing modules
497     refers to those that are suitably licensed.</li>
498     <li>Explicitly state the conclusion of the point about export controls.</li>
499 rms 1.75 <li>Imposing a license change constitutes revoking the old license.</li>
500 rms 1.74 </ul>
501     </li>
502 brett 1.72
503     <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.56&amp;r2=1.57">Version
504     1.57</a>: Add &quot;Beyond Software&quot; section.</li>
505    
506     <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.45&amp;r2=1.46">Version
507     1.46</a>: Clarify whose purpose is significant in the freedom to run
508     the program for any purpose.</li>
509    
510     <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.40&amp;r2=1.41">Version
511     1.41</a>: Clarify wording about contract-based licenses.</li>
512    
513     <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.39&amp;r2=1.40">Version
514     1.40</a>: Explain that a free license must allow to you use other
515 brett 1.73 available free software to create your modifications.</li>
516 brett 1.72
517     <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.38&amp;r2=1.39">Version
518     1.39</a>: Note that it is acceptable for a license to require you to
519     provide source for versions of the software you put into public
520 brett 1.73 use.</li>
521 brett 1.72
522     <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.30&amp;r2=1.31">Version
523     1.31</a>: Note that it is acceptable for a license to require you to
524     identify yourself as the author of modifications. Other minor
525     clarifications throughout the text.</li>
526    
527     <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.22&amp;r2=1.23">Version
528     1.23</a>: Address potential problems related to contract-based
529     licenses.</li>
530    
531     <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.15&amp;r2=1.16">Version
532     1.16</a>: Explain why distribution of binaries is important.</li>
533    
534     <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.10&amp;r2=1.11">Version
535     1.11</a>: Note that a free license may require you to send a copy of
536 rms 1.148 versions you distribute to previous developers on request.</li>
537 brett 1.72
538     </ul>
539    
540 rms 1.110 <p>There are gaps in the version numbers shown above because there are
541 rms 1.126 other changes in this page that do not affect the definition or its
542     interpretations. For instance, the list does not include changes in
543     asides, formatting, spelling, punctuation, or other parts of the page.
544     You can review the complete list of changes to the page through
545 rms 1.110 the <a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;view=log">cvsweb
546 brett 1.72 interface</a>.</p>
547    
548 alex_muntada 1.32
549 ineiev 1.123 </div><!-- for id="content", starts in the include above -->
550 mattl 1.52 <!--#include virtual="/server/footer.html" -->
551     <div id="footer">
552 ineiev 1.132 <div class="unprintable">
553 wkotwica 1.24
554 ineiev 1.123 <p>Please send general FSF &amp; GNU inquiries to
555 yavor 1.82 <a href="mailto:gnu@gnu.org">&lt;gnu@gnu.org&gt;</a>.
556 ineiev 1.123 There are also <a href="/contact/">other ways to contact</a>
557     the FSF. Broken links and other corrections or suggestions can be sent
558     to <a href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org">&lt;webmasters@gnu.org&gt;</a>.</p>
559    
560     <p><!-- TRANSLATORS: Ignore the original text in this paragraph,
561     replace it with the translation of these two:
562    
563     We work hard and do our best to provide accurate, good quality
564     translations. However, we are not exempt from imperfection.
565     Please send your comments and general suggestions in this regard
566     to <a href="mailto:web-translators@gnu.org">
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568    
569     <p>For information on coordinating and submitting translations of
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571     href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations
572     README</a>. -->
573     Please see the <a
574     href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations
575     README</a> for information on coordinating and submitting translations
576     of this article.</p>
577 ineiev 1.132 </div>
578 ineiev 1.123
579     <!-- Regarding copyright, in general, standalone pages (as opposed to
580     files generated as part of manuals) on the GNU web server should
581 gnun 1.142 be under CC BY-ND 4.0. Please do NOT change or remove this
582 ineiev 1.123 without talking with the webmasters or licensing team first.
583     Please make sure the copyright date is consistent with the
584     document. For web pages, it is ok to list just the latest year the
585     document was modified, or published.
586    
587     If you wish to list earlier years, that is ok too.
588     Either "2001, 2002, 2003" or "2001-2003" are ok for specifying
589     years, as long as each year in the range is in fact a copyrightable
590     year, i.e., a year in which the document was published (including
591     being publicly visible on the web or in a revision control system).
592    
593     There is more detail about copyright years in the GNU Maintainers
594     Information document, www.gnu.org/prep/maintain. -->
595 wkotwica 1.24
596 gnun 1.154 <p>Copyright &copy; 1996, 2002, 2004-2007, 2009-2017
597 ineiev 1.123 Free Software Foundation, Inc.</p>
598 wkotwica 1.24
599 jturner 1.104 <p>This page is licensed under a <a rel="license"
600 gnun 1.142 href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">Creative
601     Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.</p>
602 wkotwica 1.24
603 ineiev 1.119 <!--#include virtual="/server/bottom-notes.html" -->
604    
605 ineiev 1.133 <p class="unprintable">Updated:
606 paulv 1.3 <!-- timestamp start -->
607 gnun 1.154 $Date: 2017/04/04 07:57:57 $
608 paulv 1.3 <!-- timestamp end -->
609 wkotwica 1.24 </p>
610     </div>
611 mattl 1.52 </div>
612 wkotwica 1.24 </body>
613     </html>

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