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1 yavor 1.95 <!--#include virtual="/server/header.html" -->
2 ineiev 1.155 <!-- Parent-Version: 1.84 -->
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 1.157
33     <p>
34     &ldquo;Open source&rdquo; is something different: it has a very
35     different philosophy based on different values. Its practical
36     definition is different too, but nearly all open source programs are
37     in fact free. We explain the
38     difference <a href="/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html">here</a>.
39     </p>
40 rms 1.110 </blockquote>
41    
42     <p>
43     &ldquo;Free software&rdquo; means software that respects users'
44 rms 1.127 freedom and community. Roughly, it means that <b>the users have the
45     freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the
46     software</b>. Thus, &ldquo;free software&rdquo; is a matter of
47     liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of
48     &ldquo;free&rdquo; as in &ldquo;free speech,&rdquo; not as in
49 rms 1.139 &ldquo;free beer&rdquo;. We sometimes call it &ldquo;libre
50 rms 1.148 software,&rdquo; borrowing the French or Spanish word for
51     &ldquo;free&rdquo; as in freedom, to show we do not mean the software
52     is gratis.
53 rms 1.110 </p>
54    
55 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
56 rms 1.127 We campaign for these freedoms because everyone deserves them. With
57     these freedoms, the users (both individually and collectively) control
58     the program and what it does for them. When users don't control the
59     program, we call it a &ldquo;nonfree&rdquo; or
60     &ldquo;proprietary&rdquo; program. The nonfree program controls the
61 rms 1.128 users, and the developer controls the program; this makes the
62 rms 1.127 program <a href="/philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html">
63     an instrument of unjust power</a>.
64 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
65    
66 th_g 1.149 <h4> The four essential freedoms</h4>
67    
68 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
69 rms 1.110 A program is free software if the program's users have the
70     four essential freedoms:
71 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
72 webcvs 1.1
73 wkotwica 1.24 <ul>
74 rms 1.135 <li>The freedom to run the program as you wish,
75     for any purpose (freedom 0).</li>
76 rms 1.105 <li>The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it
77     does your computing as you wish (freedom 1). Access to the source
78     code is a precondition for this.
79 sinuhe 1.48 </li>
80 rms 1.157 <li>The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help others
81 sinuhe 1.48 (freedom 2).
82     </li>
83 rms 1.90 <li>The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions
84     to others (freedom 3). By doing this you can give the whole
85     community a chance to benefit from your changes.
86 sinuhe 1.48 Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
87     </li>
88 wkotwica 1.24 </ul>
89 webcvs 1.1
90 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
91 rms 1.125 A program is free software if it gives users adequately all of these
92     freedoms. Otherwise, it is nonfree. While we can distinguish various
93     nonfree distribution schemes in terms of how far they fall short of
94     being free, we consider them all equally unethical.</p>
95    
96 rms 1.141 <p>In any given scenario, these freedoms must apply to whatever code
97     we plan to make use of, or lead others to make use of. For instance,
98     consider a program A which automatically launches a program B to
99     handle some cases. If we plan to distribute A as it stands, that
100     implies users will need B, so we need to judge whether both A and B
101     are free. However, if we plan to modify A so that it doesn't use B,
102 rms 1.148 only A needs to be free; B is not pertinent to that plan.</p>
103 rms 1.141
104 th_g 1.149 <p>
105     &ldquo;Free software&rdquo; does not mean &ldquo;noncommercial&rdquo;. A free
106     program must be available for commercial use, commercial development,
107     and commercial distribution. Commercial development of free software
108     is no longer unusual; such free commercial software is very important.
109     You may have paid money to get copies of free software, or you may have
110     obtained copies at no charge. But regardless of how you got your copies,
111     you always have the freedom to copy and change the software, even to
112     <a href="/philosophy/selling.html">sell copies</a>.
113     </p>
114    
115 rms 1.125 <p>The rest of this page clarifies certain points about what makes
116     specific freedoms adequate or not.</p>
117    
118 th_g 1.149 <h4>The freedom to run the program as you wish</h4>
119 sinuhe 1.48
120 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
121 sinuhe 1.48 The freedom to run the program means the freedom for any kind of person
122     or organization to use it on any kind of computer system, for any kind of
123     overall job and purpose, without being required to communicate about it
124     with the developer or any other specific entity. In this freedom, it is
125     the <em>user's</em> purpose that matters, not the <em>developer's</em>
126 rms 1.88 purpose; you as a user are free to run the program for your purposes,
127 sinuhe 1.48 and if you distribute it to someone else, she is then free to run it
128     for her purposes, but you are not entitled to impose your purposes on her.
129 rms 1.46 </p>
130 sinuhe 1.48
131 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
132 rms 1.134 The freedom to run the program as you wish means that you are not
133 rms 1.153 forbidden or stopped from making it run. This has nothing to do with what
134     functionality the program has, whether it is technically capable of
135     functioning in any given environment, or whether it is useful for any
136     particular computing activity.</p>
137 rms 1.134
138 th_g 1.149 <h4>The freedom to study the source code and make changes</h4>
139 sinuhe 1.48
140 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
141 rms 1.88 In order for freedoms 1 and 3 (the freedom to make changes and the
142 rms 1.118 freedom to publish the changed versions) to be meaningful, you must have
143 rms 1.88 access to the source code of the program. Therefore, accessibility of
144 rms 1.92 source code is a necessary condition for free software. Obfuscated
145     &ldquo;source code&rdquo; is not real source code and does not count
146     as source code.
147 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
148    
149 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
150 rms 1.80 Freedom 1 includes the freedom to use your changed version in place of
151     the original. If the program is delivered in a product designed to
152 rms 1.105 run someone else's modified versions but refuse to run yours &mdash; a
153     practice known as &ldquo;tivoization&rdquo; or &ldquo;lockdown&rdquo;,
154     or (in its practitioners' perverse terminology) as &ldquo;secure
155 rms 1.137 boot&rdquo; &mdash; freedom 1 becomes an empty pretense rather than a
156     practical reality. These binaries are not free
157     software even if the source code they are compiled from is free.
158 rms 1.80 </p>
159    
160     <p>
161 rms 1.74 One important way to modify a program is by merging in available free
162     subroutines and modules. If the program's license says that you
163 rms 1.88 cannot merge in a suitably licensed existing module &mdash; for instance, if it
164     requires you to be the copyright holder of any code you add &mdash; then the
165 rms 1.74 license is too restrictive to qualify as free.
166 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
167    
168 novalis 1.40 <p>
169 th_g 1.149 Whether a change constitutes an improvement is a subjective matter.
170     If your right to modify a program is limited, in substance, to changes that
171     someone else considers an improvement, that program is not free.
172     </p>
173    
174     <h4>The freedom to redistribute if you wish: basic requirements</h4>
175    
176     <p>Freedom to distribute (freedoms 2 and 3) means you are free to
177     redistribute copies, either with or without modifications, either
178     gratis or charging a fee for distribution, to
179     <a href="#exportcontrol">anyone anywhere</a>. Being free to do these
180     things means (among other things) that you do not have to ask or pay
181     for permission to do so.
182     </p>
183    
184     <p>
185     You should also have the freedom to make modifications and use them
186     privately in your own work or play, without even mentioning that they
187     exist. If you do publish your changes, you should not be required to
188     notify anyone in particular, or in any particular way.
189     </p>
190    
191     <p>
192 rms 1.93 Freedom 3 includes the freedom to release your modified versions
193 rms 1.89 as free software. A free license may also permit other ways of
194     releasing them; in other words, it does not have to be
195     a <a href="/copyleft/copyleft.html">copyleft</a> license. However, a
196     license that requires modified versions to be nonfree does not qualify
197     as a free license.
198     </p>
199    
200     <p>
201 th_g 1.149 The freedom to redistribute copies must include binary or executable
202     forms of the program, as well as source code, for both modified and
203     unmodified versions. (Distributing programs in runnable form is necessary
204     for conveniently installable free operating systems.) It is OK if there
205     is no way to produce a binary or executable form for a certain program
206     (since some languages don't support that feature), but you must have the
207     freedom to redistribute such forms should you find or develop a way to
208     make them.
209 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
210    
211 th_g 1.149 <h4>Copyleft</h4>
212    
213 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
214 th_g 1.149 Certain kinds of rules about the manner of distributing free
215 webcvs 1.1 software are acceptable, when they don't conflict with the central
216 rms 1.138 freedoms. For example, <a href="/copyleft/copyleft.html">copyleft</a>
217     (very simply stated) is the rule that when redistributing the program,
218     you cannot add restrictions to deny other people the central freedoms.
219     This rule does not conflict with the central freedoms; rather it
220     protects them.
221 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
222    
223     <p>
224 rms 1.138 In the GNU project, we use copyleft to protect the four freedoms
225     legally for everyone. We believe there are important reasons why
226 rms 1.130 <a href="/philosophy/pragmatic.html">it is better to use
227     copyleft</a>. However,
228     <a href="/philosophy/categories.html#Non-CopyleftedFreeSoftware">
229     noncopylefted free software</a> is ethical
230     too. See <a href="/philosophy/categories.html">Categories of Free
231     Software</a> for a description of how &ldquo;free software,&rdquo;
232     &ldquo;copylefted software&rdquo; and other categories of software
233     relate to each other.
234     </p>
235    
236 th_g 1.149 <h4>Rules about packaging and distribution details</h4>
237 rms 1.74
238     <p>
239 th_g 1.149 Rules about how to package a modified version are acceptable,
240 rms 1.98 if they don't substantively limit your freedom to release modified
241     versions, or your freedom to make and use modified versions privately.
242     Thus, it is acceptable for the license to require that you change the
243     name of the modified version, remove a logo, or identify your
244     modifications as yours. As long as these requirements are not so
245     burdensome that they effectively hamper you from releasing your
246     changes, they are acceptable; you're already making other changes to
247     the program, so you won't have trouble making a few more.
248     </p>
249    
250     <p>
251     Rules that &ldquo;if you make your version available in this way, you
252     must make it available in that way also&rdquo; can be acceptable too,
253     on the same condition. An example of such an acceptable rule is one
254     saying that if you have distributed a
255     modified version and a previous developer asks for a copy of it, you
256     must send one. (Note that such a rule still leaves you the choice of
257     whether to distribute your version at all.) Rules that require release
258     of source code to the users for versions that you put into public use
259     are also acceptable.
260 rms 1.39 </p>
261 sinuhe 1.48
262 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
263 rms 1.121 A special issue arises when a license requires changing the name by
264     which the program will be invoked from other programs. That
265     effectively hampers you from releasing your changed version so that it
266     can replace the original when invoked by those other programs. This
267     sort of requirement is acceptable only if there's a suitable aliasing
268     facility that allows you to specify the original program's name as an
269     alias for the modified version.</p>
270    
271 th_g 1.149 <h4>Export regulations</h4>
272    
273 rms 1.121 <p>
274 sinuhe 1.48 Sometimes government <a id="exportcontrol">export control regulations</a>
275     and trade sanctions can constrain your freedom to distribute copies of
276     programs internationally. Software developers do not have the power to
277     eliminate or override these restrictions, but what they can and must do
278     is refuse to impose them as conditions of use of the program. In this
279     way, the restrictions will not affect activities and people outside the
280 rms 1.74 jurisdictions of these governments. Thus, free software licenses
281 rms 1.122 must not require obedience to any nontrivial export regulations as a
282     condition of exercising any of the essential freedoms.
283     </p>
284    
285     <p>
286     Merely mentioning the existence of export regulations, without making
287     them a condition of the license itself, is acceptable since it does
288     not restrict users. If an export regulation is actually trivial for
289     free software, then requiring it as a condition is not an actual
290     problem; however, it is a potential problem, since a later change in
291     export law could make the requirement nontrivial and thus render the
292     software nonfree.
293 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
294    
295 th_g 1.149 <h4>Legal considerations</h4>
296    
297     <p>
298     In order for these freedoms to be real, they must be permanent and
299     irrevocable as long as you do nothing wrong; if the developer of the
300     software has the power to revoke the license, or retroactively add
301     restrictions to its terms, without your doing anything wrong to give
302     cause, the software is not free.
303     </p>
304    
305 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
306 rms 1.131 A free license may not require compliance with the license of a
307     nonfree program. Thus, for instance, if a license requires you to
308     comply with the licenses of &ldquo;all the programs you use&rdquo;, in
309     the case of a user that runs nonfree programs this would require
310     compliance with the licenses of those nonfree programs; that makes the
311     license nonfree.
312     </p>
313    
314     <p>
315 rms 1.129 It is acceptable for a free license to specify which jurisdiction's
316     law applies, or where litigation must be done, or both.
317     </p>
318    
319 th_g 1.149 <h4>Contract-based licenses</h4>
320    
321 rms 1.129 <p>
322 sinuhe 1.48 Most free software licenses are based on copyright, and there are limits
323     on what kinds of requirements can be imposed through copyright. If a
324     copyright-based license respects freedom in the ways described above, it
325     is unlikely to have some other sort of problem that we never anticipated
326     (though this does happen occasionally). However, some free software
327     licenses are based on contracts, and contracts can impose a much larger
328     range of possible restrictions. That means there are many possible ways
329 rms 1.88 such a license could be unacceptably restrictive and nonfree.
330 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
331    
332 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
333 rms 1.41 We can't possibly list all the ways that might happen. If a
334     contract-based license restricts the user in an unusual way that
335     copyright-based licenses cannot, and which isn't mentioned here as
336 sinuhe 1.48 legitimate, we will have to think about it, and we will probably conclude
337 rms 1.88 it is nonfree.
338 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
339    
340 th_g 1.149 <h4>Use the right words when talking about free software</h4>
341    
342 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
343 sinuhe 1.48 When talking about free software, it is best to avoid using terms
344 karl 1.91 like &ldquo;give away&rdquo; or &ldquo;for free,&rdquo; because those terms imply that
345 sinuhe 1.48 the issue is about price, not freedom. Some common terms such
346 karl 1.91 as &ldquo;piracy&rdquo; embody opinions we hope you won't endorse. See
347 sinuhe 1.48 <a href="/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html">Confusing Words and Phrases that
348     are Worth Avoiding</a> for a discussion of these terms. We also have
349 rms 1.88 a list of proper <a href="/philosophy/fs-translations.html">translations of
350 karl 1.91 &ldquo;free software&rdquo;</a> into various languages.
351 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
352    
353 th_g 1.149 <h4>How we interpret these criteria</h4>
354    
355 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
356 webcvs 1.2 Finally, note that criteria such as those stated in this free software
357 sinuhe 1.48 definition require careful thought for their interpretation. To decide
358     whether a specific software license qualifies as a free software license,
359     we judge it based on these criteria to determine whether it fits their
360     spirit as well as the precise words. If a license includes unconscionable
361     restrictions, we reject it, even if we did not anticipate the issue
362     in these criteria. Sometimes a license requirement raises an issue
363     that calls for extensive thought, including discussions with a lawyer,
364     before we can decide if the requirement is acceptable. When we reach
365     a conclusion about a new issue, we often update these criteria to make
366     it easier to see why certain licenses do or don't qualify.
367     </p>
368    
369 th_g 1.149 <h4>Get help with free licenses</h4>
370    
371 sinuhe 1.48 <p>
372     If you are interested in whether a specific license qualifies as a free
373     software license, see our <a href="/licenses/license-list.html">list
374     of licenses</a>. If the license you are concerned with is not
375     listed there, you can ask us about it by sending us email at
376     <a href="mailto:licensing@gnu.org">&lt;licensing@gnu.org&gt;</a>.
377     </p>
378    
379     <p>
380 rms 1.88 If you are contemplating writing a new license, please contact the
381     Free Software Foundation first by writing to that address. The
382     proliferation of different free software licenses means increased work
383     for users in understanding the licenses; we may be able to help you
384     find an existing free software license that meets your needs.
385 novalis 1.29 </p>
386 webcvs 1.2
387 novalis 1.29 <p>
388     If that isn't possible, if you really need a new license, with our
389 rms 1.88 help you can ensure that the license really is a free software license
390 novalis 1.29 and avoid various practical problems.
391     </p>
392 sinuhe 1.48
393 dora 1.117 <h3 id="beyond-software">Beyond Software</h3>
394 rms 1.57
395     <p>
396 yavor 1.61 <a href="/philosophy/free-doc.html">Software manuals must be free</a>,
397     for the same reasons that software must be free, and because the
398     manuals are in effect part of the software.
399 rms 1.57 </p>
400    
401     <p>
402     The same arguments also make sense for other kinds of works of
403 yavor 1.61 practical use &mdash; that is to say, works that embody useful knowledge,
404 rms 1.57 such as educational works and reference
405 jrasata 1.103 works. <a href="http://wikipedia.org">Wikipedia</a> is the best-known
406 rms 1.57 example.
407     </p>
408    
409     <p>
410     Any kind of work <em>can</em> be free, and the definition of free software
411     has been extended to a definition of <a href="http://freedomdefined.org/">
412     free cultural works</a> applicable to any kind of works.
413     </p>
414    
415 dora 1.117 <h3 id="open-source">Open Source?</h3>
416 webcvs 1.1
417 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
418 jrasata 1.143 Another group uses the term &ldquo;open source&rdquo; to mean
419 joeko 1.109 something close (but not identical) to &ldquo;free software&rdquo;. We
420 karl 1.91 prefer the term &ldquo;free software&rdquo; because, once you have heard that
421 yavor 1.61 it refers to freedom rather than price, it calls to mind freedom. The
422 karl 1.91 word &ldquo;open&rdquo; <a href="/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html">
423 yavor 1.61 never refers to freedom</a>.
424 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
425 wkotwica 1.24
426 dora 1.117 <h3 id="History">History</h3>
427 brett 1.72
428 rms 1.110 <p>From time to time we revise this Free Software Definition. Here is
429 rms 1.121 the list of substantive changes, along with links to show exactly what
430     was changed.</p>
431 brett 1.72
432     <ul>
433    
434 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
435     1.153</a>: Clarify that freedom to run the program means nothing stops
436     you from making it run.</li>
437    
438 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
439     1.141</a>: Clarify which code needs to be free.</li>
440    
441 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
442     1.135</a>: Say each time that freedom 0 is the freedom to run the program
443     as you wish.</li>
444    
445 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
446     1.134</a>: Freedom 0 is not a matter of the program's functionality.</li>
447    
448 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
449     1.131</a>: A free license may not require compliance with a nonfree license
450     of another program.</li>
451    
452 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
453     1.129</a>: State explicitly that choice of law and choice of forum
454     specifications are allowed. (This was always our policy.)</li>
455    
456 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
457     1.122</a>: An export control requirement is a real problem if the
458     requirement is nontrivial; otherwise it is only a potential problem.</li>
459    
460 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
461     1.118</a>: Clarification: the issue is limits on your right to modify,
462     not on what modifications you have made. And modifications are not limited
463     to &ldquo;improvements&rdquo;</li>
464    
465 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
466     1.111</a>: Clarify 1.77 by saying that only
467     retroactive <em>restrictions</em> are unacceptable. The copyright
468     holders can always grant additional <em>permission</em> for use of the
469     work by releasing the work in another way in parallel.</li>
470    
471 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
472     1.105</a>: Reflect, in the brief statement of freedom 1, the point
473 rms 1.105 (already stated in version 1.80) that it includes really using your modified
474     version for your computing.</li>
475    
476 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
477     1.92</a>: Clarify that obfuscated code does not qualify as source code.</li>
478    
479 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
480     1.90</a>: Clarify that freedom 3 means the right to distribute copies
481     of your own modified or improved version, not a right to participate
482     in someone else's development project.</li>
483    
484 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
485     1.89</a>: Freedom 3 includes the right to release modified versions as
486     free software.</li>
487    
488 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
489     1.80</a>: Freedom 1 must be practical, not just theoretical;
490     i.e., no tivoization.</li>
491    
492 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
493     1.77</a>: Clarify that all retroactive changes to the license are
494     unacceptable, even if it's not described as a complete
495     replacement.</li>
496    
497 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
498 rms 1.75 1.74</a>: Four clarifications of points not explicit enough, or stated
499 rms 1.74 in some places but not reflected everywhere:
500     <ul>
501     <li>"Improvements" does not mean the license can
502     substantively limit what kinds of modified versions you can release.
503     Freedom 3 includes distributing modified versions, not just changes.</li>
504     <li>The right to merge in existing modules
505     refers to those that are suitably licensed.</li>
506     <li>Explicitly state the conclusion of the point about export controls.</li>
507 rms 1.75 <li>Imposing a license change constitutes revoking the old license.</li>
508 rms 1.74 </ul>
509     </li>
510 brett 1.72
511     <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
512     1.57</a>: Add &quot;Beyond Software&quot; section.</li>
513    
514     <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
515     1.46</a>: Clarify whose purpose is significant in the freedom to run
516     the program for any purpose.</li>
517    
518     <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
519     1.41</a>: Clarify wording about contract-based licenses.</li>
520    
521     <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
522     1.40</a>: Explain that a free license must allow to you use other
523 brett 1.73 available free software to create your modifications.</li>
524 brett 1.72
525     <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
526     1.39</a>: Note that it is acceptable for a license to require you to
527     provide source for versions of the software you put into public
528 brett 1.73 use.</li>
529 brett 1.72
530     <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
531     1.31</a>: Note that it is acceptable for a license to require you to
532     identify yourself as the author of modifications. Other minor
533     clarifications throughout the text.</li>
534    
535     <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
536     1.23</a>: Address potential problems related to contract-based
537     licenses.</li>
538    
539     <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
540     1.16</a>: Explain why distribution of binaries is important.</li>
541    
542     <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
543     1.11</a>: Note that a free license may require you to send a copy of
544 rms 1.148 versions you distribute to previous developers on request.</li>
545 brett 1.72
546     </ul>
547    
548 rms 1.110 <p>There are gaps in the version numbers shown above because there are
549 rms 1.126 other changes in this page that do not affect the definition or its
550     interpretations. For instance, the list does not include changes in
551     asides, formatting, spelling, punctuation, or other parts of the page.
552     You can review the complete list of changes to the page through
553 rms 1.110 the <a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;view=log">cvsweb
554 brett 1.72 interface</a>.</p>
555    
556 alex_muntada 1.32
557 ineiev 1.123 </div><!-- for id="content", starts in the include above -->
558 mattl 1.52 <!--#include virtual="/server/footer.html" -->
559     <div id="footer">
560 ineiev 1.132 <div class="unprintable">
561 wkotwica 1.24
562 ineiev 1.123 <p>Please send general FSF &amp; GNU inquiries to
563 yavor 1.82 <a href="mailto:gnu@gnu.org">&lt;gnu@gnu.org&gt;</a>.
564 ineiev 1.123 There are also <a href="/contact/">other ways to contact</a>
565     the FSF. Broken links and other corrections or suggestions can be sent
566     to <a href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org">&lt;webmasters@gnu.org&gt;</a>.</p>
567    
568     <p><!-- TRANSLATORS: Ignore the original text in this paragraph,
569     replace it with the translation of these two:
570    
571     We work hard and do our best to provide accurate, good quality
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573     Please send your comments and general suggestions in this regard
574     to <a href="mailto:web-translators@gnu.org">
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576    
577     <p>For information on coordinating and submitting translations of
578     our web pages, see <a
579     href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations
580     README</a>. -->
581     Please see the <a
582     href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations
583     README</a> for information on coordinating and submitting translations
584     of this article.</p>
585 ineiev 1.132 </div>
586 ineiev 1.123
587     <!-- Regarding copyright, in general, standalone pages (as opposed to
588     files generated as part of manuals) on the GNU web server should
589 gnun 1.142 be under CC BY-ND 4.0. Please do NOT change or remove this
590 ineiev 1.123 without talking with the webmasters or licensing team first.
591     Please make sure the copyright date is consistent with the
592     document. For web pages, it is ok to list just the latest year the
593     document was modified, or published.
594    
595     If you wish to list earlier years, that is ok too.
596     Either "2001, 2002, 2003" or "2001-2003" are ok for specifying
597     years, as long as each year in the range is in fact a copyrightable
598     year, i.e., a year in which the document was published (including
599     being publicly visible on the web or in a revision control system).
600    
601     There is more detail about copyright years in the GNU Maintainers
602     Information document, www.gnu.org/prep/maintain. -->
603 wkotwica 1.24
604 gnun 1.156 <p>Copyright &copy; 1996, 2002, 2004-2007, 2009-2018
605 ineiev 1.123 Free Software Foundation, Inc.</p>
606 wkotwica 1.24
607 jturner 1.104 <p>This page is licensed under a <a rel="license"
608 gnun 1.142 href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">Creative
609     Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.</p>
610 wkotwica 1.24
611 ineiev 1.119 <!--#include virtual="/server/bottom-notes.html" -->
612    
613 ineiev 1.133 <p class="unprintable">Updated:
614 paulv 1.3 <!-- timestamp start -->
615 rms 1.157 $Date: 2018/01/01 06:22:02 $
616 paulv 1.3 <!-- timestamp end -->
617 wkotwica 1.24 </p>
618     </div>
619 mattl 1.52 </div>
620 wkotwica 1.24 </body>
621     </html>

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