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1 yavor 1.95 <!--#include virtual="/server/header.html" -->
2 ineiev 1.161 <!-- Parent-Version: 1.86 -->
3 ineiev 1.123 <title>What is free software?
4     - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title>
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11 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" />
12     <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." />
13 johnsu01 1.45
14 ineiev 1.120 <!--#include virtual="/philosophy/po/free-sw.translist" -->
15 mattl 1.52 <!--#include virtual="/server/banner.html" -->
16 wkotwica 1.24
17 brett 1.107 <h2>What is free software?</h2>
18    
19 th_g 1.160 <div class="article">
20     <h3>The Free Software Definition</h3>
21    
22 rms 1.151 <blockquote class="note" id="fsf-licensing"><p style="font-size: 80%">
23     Have a question about free software licensing not answered here?
24     See our other <a href="http://www.fsf.org/licensing">licensing resources</a>,
25     and if necessary contact the FSF Compliance Lab
26     at <a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">licensing@fsf.org</a>.</p>
27     </blockquote>
28    
29 th_g 1.160 <div class="comment">
30 ineiev 1.112 <p>
31 rms 1.110 The free software definition presents the criteria for whether a
32     particular software program qualifies as free software. From time to
33     time we revise this definition, to clarify it or to resolve questions
34     about subtle issues. See the <a href="#History">History section</a>
35     below for a list of changes that affect the definition of free
36     software.
37 ineiev 1.112 </p>
38 rms 1.157
39     <p>
40     &ldquo;Open source&rdquo; is something different: it has a very
41     different philosophy based on different values. Its practical
42     definition is different too, but nearly all open source programs are
43     in fact free. We explain the
44 ineiev 1.158 difference in <a href="/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html">
45     Why &ldquo;Open Source&rdquo; misses the point of Free Software</a>.
46 rms 1.157 </p>
47 th_g 1.160 </div>
48 rms 1.110
49     <p>
50     &ldquo;Free software&rdquo; means software that respects users'
51 rms 1.127 freedom and community. Roughly, it means that <b>the users have the
52     freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the
53     software</b>. Thus, &ldquo;free software&rdquo; is a matter of
54     liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of
55     &ldquo;free&rdquo; as in &ldquo;free speech,&rdquo; not as in
56 rms 1.139 &ldquo;free beer&rdquo;. We sometimes call it &ldquo;libre
57 rms 1.148 software,&rdquo; borrowing the French or Spanish word for
58     &ldquo;free&rdquo; as in freedom, to show we do not mean the software
59     is gratis.
60 rms 1.110 </p>
61    
62 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
63 rms 1.127 We campaign for these freedoms because everyone deserves them. With
64     these freedoms, the users (both individually and collectively) control
65     the program and what it does for them. When users don't control the
66     program, we call it a &ldquo;nonfree&rdquo; or
67     &ldquo;proprietary&rdquo; program. The nonfree program controls the
68 rms 1.128 users, and the developer controls the program; this makes the
69 rms 1.127 program <a href="/philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html">
70     an instrument of unjust power</a>.
71 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
72    
73 th_g 1.149 <h4> The four essential freedoms</h4>
74    
75 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
76 rms 1.110 A program is free software if the program's users have the
77 th_g 1.159 four essential freedoms: <a href="#f1">[1]</a>
78 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
79 webcvs 1.1
80 th_g 1.160 <ul class="important">
81 rms 1.135 <li>The freedom to run the program as you wish,
82     for any purpose (freedom 0).</li>
83 rms 1.105 <li>The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it
84     does your computing as you wish (freedom 1). Access to the source
85     code is a precondition for this.
86 sinuhe 1.48 </li>
87 rms 1.157 <li>The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help others
88 sinuhe 1.48 (freedom 2).
89     </li>
90 rms 1.90 <li>The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions
91     to others (freedom 3). By doing this you can give the whole
92     community a chance to benefit from your changes.
93 sinuhe 1.48 Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
94     </li>
95 wkotwica 1.24 </ul>
96 webcvs 1.1
97 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
98 rms 1.125 A program is free software if it gives users adequately all of these
99     freedoms. Otherwise, it is nonfree. While we can distinguish various
100     nonfree distribution schemes in terms of how far they fall short of
101     being free, we consider them all equally unethical.</p>
102    
103 rms 1.141 <p>In any given scenario, these freedoms must apply to whatever code
104     we plan to make use of, or lead others to make use of. For instance,
105     consider a program A which automatically launches a program B to
106     handle some cases. If we plan to distribute A as it stands, that
107     implies users will need B, so we need to judge whether both A and B
108     are free. However, if we plan to modify A so that it doesn't use B,
109 rms 1.148 only A needs to be free; B is not pertinent to that plan.</p>
110 rms 1.141
111 th_g 1.149 <p>
112     &ldquo;Free software&rdquo; does not mean &ldquo;noncommercial&rdquo;. A free
113     program must be available for commercial use, commercial development,
114     and commercial distribution. Commercial development of free software
115     is no longer unusual; such free commercial software is very important.
116     You may have paid money to get copies of free software, or you may have
117     obtained copies at no charge. But regardless of how you got your copies,
118     you always have the freedom to copy and change the software, even to
119     <a href="/philosophy/selling.html">sell copies</a>.
120     </p>
121    
122 rms 1.163 <p>
123     A free program must offer the four freedoms to any user that obtains a
124     copy of the software, provided the user has complied thus far with the
125     conditions of the free license covering the software. Putting some of
126     the freedoms off limits to some users, or requiring that users pay, in
127     money or in kind, to exercise them, is tantamount to not granting the
128     freedoms in question, and thus renders the program nonfree.
129     </p>
130    
131 rms 1.165 <h3>Clarifying the line at various points</h3>
132    
133     <p>In the rest of this article we expain more precisely how far the
134     various freedoms need to extend, on various issues, in order for a
135     program to be free.</p>
136 rms 1.125
137 th_g 1.149 <h4>The freedom to run the program as you wish</h4>
138 sinuhe 1.48
139 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
140 sinuhe 1.48 The freedom to run the program means the freedom for any kind of person
141     or organization to use it on any kind of computer system, for any kind of
142     overall job and purpose, without being required to communicate about it
143     with the developer or any other specific entity. In this freedom, it is
144     the <em>user's</em> purpose that matters, not the <em>developer's</em>
145 rms 1.88 purpose; you as a user are free to run the program for your purposes,
146 sinuhe 1.48 and if you distribute it to someone else, she is then free to run it
147     for her purposes, but you are not entitled to impose your purposes on her.
148 rms 1.46 </p>
149 sinuhe 1.48
150 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
151 rms 1.134 The freedom to run the program as you wish means that you are not
152 rms 1.153 forbidden or stopped from making it run. This has nothing to do with what
153     functionality the program has, whether it is technically capable of
154     functioning in any given environment, or whether it is useful for any
155     particular computing activity.</p>
156 rms 1.134
157 th_g 1.149 <h4>The freedom to study the source code and make changes</h4>
158 sinuhe 1.48
159 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
160 rms 1.88 In order for freedoms 1 and 3 (the freedom to make changes and the
161 rms 1.165 freedom to publish the changed versions) to be meaningful, you need to have
162 rms 1.88 access to the source code of the program. Therefore, accessibility of
163 rms 1.92 source code is a necessary condition for free software. Obfuscated
164     &ldquo;source code&rdquo; is not real source code and does not count
165     as source code.
166 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
167    
168 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
169 rms 1.80 Freedom 1 includes the freedom to use your changed version in place of
170     the original. If the program is delivered in a product designed to
171 rms 1.105 run someone else's modified versions but refuse to run yours &mdash; a
172     practice known as &ldquo;tivoization&rdquo; or &ldquo;lockdown&rdquo;,
173     or (in its practitioners' perverse terminology) as &ldquo;secure
174 rms 1.137 boot&rdquo; &mdash; freedom 1 becomes an empty pretense rather than a
175     practical reality. These binaries are not free
176     software even if the source code they are compiled from is free.
177 rms 1.80 </p>
178    
179     <p>
180 rms 1.74 One important way to modify a program is by merging in available free
181     subroutines and modules. If the program's license says that you
182 rms 1.88 cannot merge in a suitably licensed existing module &mdash; for instance, if it
183     requires you to be the copyright holder of any code you add &mdash; then the
184 rms 1.74 license is too restrictive to qualify as free.
185 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
186    
187 novalis 1.40 <p>
188 th_g 1.149 Whether a change constitutes an improvement is a subjective matter.
189     If your right to modify a program is limited, in substance, to changes that
190     someone else considers an improvement, that program is not free.
191     </p>
192    
193     <h4>The freedom to redistribute if you wish: basic requirements</h4>
194    
195     <p>Freedom to distribute (freedoms 2 and 3) means you are free to
196     redistribute copies, either with or without modifications, either
197     gratis or charging a fee for distribution, to
198     <a href="#exportcontrol">anyone anywhere</a>. Being free to do these
199     things means (among other things) that you do not have to ask or pay
200     for permission to do so.
201     </p>
202    
203     <p>
204     You should also have the freedom to make modifications and use them
205     privately in your own work or play, without even mentioning that they
206     exist. If you do publish your changes, you should not be required to
207     notify anyone in particular, or in any particular way.
208     </p>
209    
210     <p>
211 rms 1.93 Freedom 3 includes the freedom to release your modified versions
212 rms 1.89 as free software. A free license may also permit other ways of
213     releasing them; in other words, it does not have to be
214     a <a href="/copyleft/copyleft.html">copyleft</a> license. However, a
215     license that requires modified versions to be nonfree does not qualify
216     as a free license.
217     </p>
218    
219     <p>
220 th_g 1.149 The freedom to redistribute copies must include binary or executable
221     forms of the program, as well as source code, for both modified and
222     unmodified versions. (Distributing programs in runnable form is necessary
223     for conveniently installable free operating systems.) It is OK if there
224     is no way to produce a binary or executable form for a certain program
225     (since some languages don't support that feature), but you must have the
226     freedom to redistribute such forms should you find or develop a way to
227     make them.
228 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
229    
230 th_g 1.149 <h4>Copyleft</h4>
231    
232 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
233 th_g 1.149 Certain kinds of rules about the manner of distributing free
234 webcvs 1.1 software are acceptable, when they don't conflict with the central
235 rms 1.138 freedoms. For example, <a href="/copyleft/copyleft.html">copyleft</a>
236     (very simply stated) is the rule that when redistributing the program,
237     you cannot add restrictions to deny other people the central freedoms.
238     This rule does not conflict with the central freedoms; rather it
239     protects them.
240 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
241    
242     <p>
243 rms 1.138 In the GNU project, we use copyleft to protect the four freedoms
244     legally for everyone. We believe there are important reasons why
245 rms 1.130 <a href="/philosophy/pragmatic.html">it is better to use
246     copyleft</a>. However,
247     <a href="/philosophy/categories.html#Non-CopyleftedFreeSoftware">
248     noncopylefted free software</a> is ethical
249     too. See <a href="/philosophy/categories.html">Categories of Free
250     Software</a> for a description of how &ldquo;free software,&rdquo;
251     &ldquo;copylefted software&rdquo; and other categories of software
252     relate to each other.
253     </p>
254    
255 th_g 1.149 <h4>Rules about packaging and distribution details</h4>
256 rms 1.74
257     <p>
258 th_g 1.149 Rules about how to package a modified version are acceptable,
259 rms 1.98 if they don't substantively limit your freedom to release modified
260     versions, or your freedom to make and use modified versions privately.
261     Thus, it is acceptable for the license to require that you change the
262     name of the modified version, remove a logo, or identify your
263     modifications as yours. As long as these requirements are not so
264     burdensome that they effectively hamper you from releasing your
265     changes, they are acceptable; you're already making other changes to
266     the program, so you won't have trouble making a few more.
267     </p>
268    
269     <p>
270     Rules that &ldquo;if you make your version available in this way, you
271     must make it available in that way also&rdquo; can be acceptable too,
272     on the same condition. An example of such an acceptable rule is one
273     saying that if you have distributed a
274     modified version and a previous developer asks for a copy of it, you
275     must send one. (Note that such a rule still leaves you the choice of
276     whether to distribute your version at all.) Rules that require release
277     of source code to the users for versions that you put into public use
278     are also acceptable.
279 rms 1.39 </p>
280 sinuhe 1.48
281 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
282 rms 1.121 A special issue arises when a license requires changing the name by
283     which the program will be invoked from other programs. That
284     effectively hampers you from releasing your changed version so that it
285     can replace the original when invoked by those other programs. This
286     sort of requirement is acceptable only if there's a suitable aliasing
287     facility that allows you to specify the original program's name as an
288     alias for the modified version.</p>
289    
290 th_g 1.149 <h4>Export regulations</h4>
291    
292 rms 1.121 <p>
293 sinuhe 1.48 Sometimes government <a id="exportcontrol">export control regulations</a>
294     and trade sanctions can constrain your freedom to distribute copies of
295     programs internationally. Software developers do not have the power to
296     eliminate or override these restrictions, but what they can and must do
297     is refuse to impose them as conditions of use of the program. In this
298     way, the restrictions will not affect activities and people outside the
299 rms 1.74 jurisdictions of these governments. Thus, free software licenses
300 rms 1.122 must not require obedience to any nontrivial export regulations as a
301     condition of exercising any of the essential freedoms.
302     </p>
303    
304     <p>
305     Merely mentioning the existence of export regulations, without making
306     them a condition of the license itself, is acceptable since it does
307     not restrict users. If an export regulation is actually trivial for
308     free software, then requiring it as a condition is not an actual
309     problem; however, it is a potential problem, since a later change in
310     export law could make the requirement nontrivial and thus render the
311     software nonfree.
312 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
313    
314 th_g 1.149 <h4>Legal considerations</h4>
315    
316     <p>
317     In order for these freedoms to be real, they must be permanent and
318     irrevocable as long as you do nothing wrong; if the developer of the
319     software has the power to revoke the license, or retroactively add
320     restrictions to its terms, without your doing anything wrong to give
321     cause, the software is not free.
322     </p>
323    
324 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
325 rms 1.131 A free license may not require compliance with the license of a
326     nonfree program. Thus, for instance, if a license requires you to
327     comply with the licenses of &ldquo;all the programs you use&rdquo;, in
328     the case of a user that runs nonfree programs this would require
329     compliance with the licenses of those nonfree programs; that makes the
330     license nonfree.
331     </p>
332    
333     <p>
334 rms 1.129 It is acceptable for a free license to specify which jurisdiction's
335     law applies, or where litigation must be done, or both.
336     </p>
337    
338 th_g 1.149 <h4>Contract-based licenses</h4>
339    
340 rms 1.129 <p>
341 sinuhe 1.48 Most free software licenses are based on copyright, and there are limits
342     on what kinds of requirements can be imposed through copyright. If a
343     copyright-based license respects freedom in the ways described above, it
344     is unlikely to have some other sort of problem that we never anticipated
345     (though this does happen occasionally). However, some free software
346     licenses are based on contracts, and contracts can impose a much larger
347     range of possible restrictions. That means there are many possible ways
348 rms 1.88 such a license could be unacceptably restrictive and nonfree.
349 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
350    
351 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
352 rms 1.41 We can't possibly list all the ways that might happen. If a
353     contract-based license restricts the user in an unusual way that
354     copyright-based licenses cannot, and which isn't mentioned here as
355 sinuhe 1.48 legitimate, we will have to think about it, and we will probably conclude
356 rms 1.88 it is nonfree.
357 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
358    
359 th_g 1.149 <h4>Use the right words when talking about free software</h4>
360    
361 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
362 sinuhe 1.48 When talking about free software, it is best to avoid using terms
363 karl 1.91 like &ldquo;give away&rdquo; or &ldquo;for free,&rdquo; because those terms imply that
364 sinuhe 1.48 the issue is about price, not freedom. Some common terms such
365 karl 1.91 as &ldquo;piracy&rdquo; embody opinions we hope you won't endorse. See
366 sinuhe 1.48 <a href="/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html">Confusing Words and Phrases that
367     are Worth Avoiding</a> for a discussion of these terms. We also have
368 rms 1.88 a list of proper <a href="/philosophy/fs-translations.html">translations of
369 karl 1.91 &ldquo;free software&rdquo;</a> into various languages.
370 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
371    
372 th_g 1.149 <h4>How we interpret these criteria</h4>
373    
374 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
375 webcvs 1.2 Finally, note that criteria such as those stated in this free software
376 sinuhe 1.48 definition require careful thought for their interpretation. To decide
377     whether a specific software license qualifies as a free software license,
378     we judge it based on these criteria to determine whether it fits their
379     spirit as well as the precise words. If a license includes unconscionable
380     restrictions, we reject it, even if we did not anticipate the issue
381     in these criteria. Sometimes a license requirement raises an issue
382     that calls for extensive thought, including discussions with a lawyer,
383     before we can decide if the requirement is acceptable. When we reach
384     a conclusion about a new issue, we often update these criteria to make
385     it easier to see why certain licenses do or don't qualify.
386     </p>
387    
388 th_g 1.149 <h4>Get help with free licenses</h4>
389    
390 sinuhe 1.48 <p>
391     If you are interested in whether a specific license qualifies as a free
392     software license, see our <a href="/licenses/license-list.html">list
393     of licenses</a>. If the license you are concerned with is not
394     listed there, you can ask us about it by sending us email at
395     <a href="mailto:licensing@gnu.org">&lt;licensing@gnu.org&gt;</a>.
396     </p>
397    
398     <p>
399 rms 1.88 If you are contemplating writing a new license, please contact the
400     Free Software Foundation first by writing to that address. The
401     proliferation of different free software licenses means increased work
402     for users in understanding the licenses; we may be able to help you
403     find an existing free software license that meets your needs.
404 novalis 1.29 </p>
405 webcvs 1.2
406 novalis 1.29 <p>
407     If that isn't possible, if you really need a new license, with our
408 rms 1.88 help you can ensure that the license really is a free software license
409 novalis 1.29 and avoid various practical problems.
410     </p>
411 sinuhe 1.48
412 dora 1.117 <h3 id="beyond-software">Beyond Software</h3>
413 rms 1.57
414     <p>
415 yavor 1.61 <a href="/philosophy/free-doc.html">Software manuals must be free</a>,
416     for the same reasons that software must be free, and because the
417     manuals are in effect part of the software.
418 rms 1.57 </p>
419    
420     <p>
421     The same arguments also make sense for other kinds of works of
422 yavor 1.61 practical use &mdash; that is to say, works that embody useful knowledge,
423 rms 1.57 such as educational works and reference
424 jrasata 1.103 works. <a href="http://wikipedia.org">Wikipedia</a> is the best-known
425 rms 1.57 example.
426     </p>
427    
428     <p>
429     Any kind of work <em>can</em> be free, and the definition of free software
430     has been extended to a definition of <a href="http://freedomdefined.org/">
431     free cultural works</a> applicable to any kind of works.
432     </p>
433    
434 dora 1.117 <h3 id="open-source">Open Source?</h3>
435 webcvs 1.1
436 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
437 jrasata 1.143 Another group uses the term &ldquo;open source&rdquo; to mean
438 joeko 1.109 something close (but not identical) to &ldquo;free software&rdquo;. We
439 karl 1.91 prefer the term &ldquo;free software&rdquo; because, once you have heard that
440 yavor 1.61 it refers to freedom rather than price, it calls to mind freedom. The
441 karl 1.91 word &ldquo;open&rdquo; <a href="/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html">
442 yavor 1.61 never refers to freedom</a>.
443 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
444 th_g 1.160 </div>
445 wkotwica 1.24
446 dora 1.117 <h3 id="History">History</h3>
447 brett 1.72
448 rms 1.110 <p>From time to time we revise this Free Software Definition. Here is
449 rms 1.121 the list of substantive changes, along with links to show exactly what
450     was changed.</p>
451 brett 1.72
452     <ul>
453    
454 rms 1.163 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.162&amp;r2=1.163">Version
455     1.163</a>: Clarify that the four freedoms apply to any and all users,
456     and that requiring users to pay to exercise some of these freedoms is
457     a way of denying them.</li>
458    
459 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
460     1.153</a>: Clarify that freedom to run the program means nothing stops
461     you from making it run.</li>
462    
463 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
464     1.141</a>: Clarify which code needs to be free.</li>
465    
466 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
467     1.135</a>: Say each time that freedom 0 is the freedom to run the program
468     as you wish.</li>
469    
470 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
471     1.134</a>: Freedom 0 is not a matter of the program's functionality.</li>
472    
473 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
474     1.131</a>: A free license may not require compliance with a nonfree license
475     of another program.</li>
476    
477 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
478     1.129</a>: State explicitly that choice of law and choice of forum
479     specifications are allowed. (This was always our policy.)</li>
480    
481 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
482     1.122</a>: An export control requirement is a real problem if the
483     requirement is nontrivial; otherwise it is only a potential problem.</li>
484    
485 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
486     1.118</a>: Clarification: the issue is limits on your right to modify,
487     not on what modifications you have made. And modifications are not limited
488     to &ldquo;improvements&rdquo;</li>
489    
490 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
491     1.111</a>: Clarify 1.77 by saying that only
492     retroactive <em>restrictions</em> are unacceptable. The copyright
493     holders can always grant additional <em>permission</em> for use of the
494     work by releasing the work in another way in parallel.</li>
495    
496 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
497     1.105</a>: Reflect, in the brief statement of freedom 1, the point
498 rms 1.105 (already stated in version 1.80) that it includes really using your modified
499     version for your computing.</li>
500    
501 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
502     1.92</a>: Clarify that obfuscated code does not qualify as source code.</li>
503    
504 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
505     1.90</a>: Clarify that freedom 3 means the right to distribute copies
506     of your own modified or improved version, not a right to participate
507     in someone else's development project.</li>
508    
509 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
510     1.89</a>: Freedom 3 includes the right to release modified versions as
511     free software.</li>
512    
513 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
514     1.80</a>: Freedom 1 must be practical, not just theoretical;
515     i.e., no tivoization.</li>
516    
517 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
518     1.77</a>: Clarify that all retroactive changes to the license are
519     unacceptable, even if it's not described as a complete
520     replacement.</li>
521    
522 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
523 rms 1.75 1.74</a>: Four clarifications of points not explicit enough, or stated
524 rms 1.74 in some places but not reflected everywhere:
525     <ul>
526     <li>"Improvements" does not mean the license can
527     substantively limit what kinds of modified versions you can release.
528     Freedom 3 includes distributing modified versions, not just changes.</li>
529     <li>The right to merge in existing modules
530     refers to those that are suitably licensed.</li>
531     <li>Explicitly state the conclusion of the point about export controls.</li>
532 rms 1.75 <li>Imposing a license change constitutes revoking the old license.</li>
533 rms 1.74 </ul>
534     </li>
535 brett 1.72
536     <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
537     1.57</a>: Add &quot;Beyond Software&quot; section.</li>
538    
539     <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
540     1.46</a>: Clarify whose purpose is significant in the freedom to run
541     the program for any purpose.</li>
542    
543     <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
544     1.41</a>: Clarify wording about contract-based licenses.</li>
545    
546     <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
547     1.40</a>: Explain that a free license must allow to you use other
548 brett 1.73 available free software to create your modifications.</li>
549 brett 1.72
550     <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
551     1.39</a>: Note that it is acceptable for a license to require you to
552     provide source for versions of the software you put into public
553 brett 1.73 use.</li>
554 brett 1.72
555     <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
556     1.31</a>: Note that it is acceptable for a license to require you to
557     identify yourself as the author of modifications. Other minor
558     clarifications throughout the text.</li>
559    
560     <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
561     1.23</a>: Address potential problems related to contract-based
562     licenses.</li>
563    
564     <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
565     1.16</a>: Explain why distribution of binaries is important.</li>
566    
567     <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
568     1.11</a>: Note that a free license may require you to send a copy of
569 rms 1.148 versions you distribute to previous developers on request.</li>
570 brett 1.72
571     </ul>
572    
573 rms 1.110 <p>There are gaps in the version numbers shown above because there are
574 rms 1.126 other changes in this page that do not affect the definition or its
575     interpretations. For instance, the list does not include changes in
576     asides, formatting, spelling, punctuation, or other parts of the page.
577     You can review the complete list of changes to the page through
578 rms 1.110 the <a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;view=log">cvsweb
579 brett 1.72 interface</a>.</p>
580    
581 th_g 1.159 <h3 style="font-size:1em">Footnote</h3>
582     <ol>
583     <li id="f1">The reason they are numbered 0, 1, 2 and 3 is historical. Around
584     1990 there were three freedoms, numbered 1, 2 and 3. Then we realized that
585     the freedom to run the program needed to be mentioned explicitly.
586     It was clearly more basic than the other three, so it properly should
587     precede them. Rather than renumber the others, we made it freedom&nbsp;0.</li>
588     </ol>
589 alex_muntada 1.32
590 ineiev 1.123 </div><!-- for id="content", starts in the include above -->
591 mattl 1.52 <!--#include virtual="/server/footer.html" -->
592     <div id="footer">
593 ineiev 1.132 <div class="unprintable">
594 wkotwica 1.24
595 ineiev 1.123 <p>Please send general FSF &amp; GNU inquiries to
596 yavor 1.82 <a href="mailto:gnu@gnu.org">&lt;gnu@gnu.org&gt;</a>.
597 ineiev 1.123 There are also <a href="/contact/">other ways to contact</a>
598     the FSF. Broken links and other corrections or suggestions can be sent
599     to <a href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org">&lt;webmasters@gnu.org&gt;</a>.</p>
600    
601     <p><!-- TRANSLATORS: Ignore the original text in this paragraph,
602     replace it with the translation of these two:
603    
604     We work hard and do our best to provide accurate, good quality
605     translations. However, we are not exempt from imperfection.
606     Please send your comments and general suggestions in this regard
607     to <a href="mailto:web-translators@gnu.org">
608     &lt;web-translators@gnu.org&gt;</a>.</p>
609    
610     <p>For information on coordinating and submitting translations of
611     our web pages, see <a
612     href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations
613     README</a>. -->
614     Please see the <a
615     href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations
616     README</a> for information on coordinating and submitting translations
617     of this article.</p>
618 ineiev 1.132 </div>
619 ineiev 1.123
620     <!-- Regarding copyright, in general, standalone pages (as opposed to
621     files generated as part of manuals) on the GNU web server should
622 gnun 1.142 be under CC BY-ND 4.0. Please do NOT change or remove this
623 ineiev 1.123 without talking with the webmasters or licensing team first.
624     Please make sure the copyright date is consistent with the
625     document. For web pages, it is ok to list just the latest year the
626     document was modified, or published.
627    
628     If you wish to list earlier years, that is ok too.
629     Either "2001, 2002, 2003" or "2001-2003" are ok for specifying
630     years, as long as each year in the range is in fact a copyrightable
631     year, i.e., a year in which the document was published (including
632     being publicly visible on the web or in a revision control system).
633    
634     There is more detail about copyright years in the GNU Maintainers
635     Information document, www.gnu.org/prep/maintain. -->
636 wkotwica 1.24
637 gnun 1.164 <p>Copyright &copy; 1996, 2002, 2004-2007, 2009-2019
638 ineiev 1.123 Free Software Foundation, Inc.</p>
639 wkotwica 1.24
640 jturner 1.104 <p>This page is licensed under a <a rel="license"
641 gnun 1.142 href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">Creative
642     Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.</p>
643 wkotwica 1.24
644 ineiev 1.119 <!--#include virtual="/server/bottom-notes.html" -->
645    
646 ineiev 1.133 <p class="unprintable">Updated:
647 paulv 1.3 <!-- timestamp start -->
648 rms 1.165 $Date: 2019/03/20 10:56:16 $
649 paulv 1.3 <!-- timestamp end -->
650 wkotwica 1.24 </p>
651     </div>
652 ineiev 1.162 </div><!-- for class="inner", starts in the banner include -->
653 wkotwica 1.24 </body>
654     </html>

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