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Clarify that arbitrary annoyances in the code do not
negate freedom 0, and that freedoms 1 and 3 enable users to remove them.

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>
5 th_g 1.160 <style type="text/css" media="print,screen"><!--
6     .note { margin-left: 6%; margin-right: 6%; }
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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 rms 1.166 <p>For example, if the code arbitrarily rejects certain meanimgful
158     inputs&mdash;or even fails unconditionally&mdash;that may make the
159     program less useful, perhaps even totally useless, but it does not
160     deny users the freedom to run the program, so it does not conflict
161     with freedom 0. If the program is free, the users can overcome the
162     loss of usefulness, because freedoms 1 and 3 permit users and
163     communities to make and distribute modified versions without the
164     arbitrary nuisanc ecode.</p>
165    
166 th_g 1.149 <h4>The freedom to study the source code and make changes</h4>
167 sinuhe 1.48
168 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
169 rms 1.88 In order for freedoms 1 and 3 (the freedom to make changes and the
170 rms 1.165 freedom to publish the changed versions) to be meaningful, you need to have
171 rms 1.88 access to the source code of the program. Therefore, accessibility of
172 rms 1.92 source code is a necessary condition for free software. Obfuscated
173     &ldquo;source code&rdquo; is not real source code and does not count
174     as source code.
175 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
176    
177 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
178 rms 1.80 Freedom 1 includes the freedom to use your changed version in place of
179     the original. If the program is delivered in a product designed to
180 rms 1.105 run someone else's modified versions but refuse to run yours &mdash; a
181     practice known as &ldquo;tivoization&rdquo; or &ldquo;lockdown&rdquo;,
182     or (in its practitioners' perverse terminology) as &ldquo;secure
183 rms 1.137 boot&rdquo; &mdash; freedom 1 becomes an empty pretense rather than a
184     practical reality. These binaries are not free
185     software even if the source code they are compiled from is free.
186 rms 1.80 </p>
187    
188     <p>
189 rms 1.74 One important way to modify a program is by merging in available free
190     subroutines and modules. If the program's license says that you
191 rms 1.88 cannot merge in a suitably licensed existing module &mdash; for instance, if it
192     requires you to be the copyright holder of any code you add &mdash; then the
193 rms 1.74 license is too restrictive to qualify as free.
194 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
195    
196 novalis 1.40 <p>
197 th_g 1.149 Whether a change constitutes an improvement is a subjective matter.
198     If your right to modify a program is limited, in substance, to changes that
199     someone else considers an improvement, that program is not free.
200     </p>
201    
202     <h4>The freedom to redistribute if you wish: basic requirements</h4>
203    
204     <p>Freedom to distribute (freedoms 2 and 3) means you are free to
205     redistribute copies, either with or without modifications, either
206     gratis or charging a fee for distribution, to
207     <a href="#exportcontrol">anyone anywhere</a>. Being free to do these
208     things means (among other things) that you do not have to ask or pay
209     for permission to do so.
210     </p>
211    
212     <p>
213     You should also have the freedom to make modifications and use them
214     privately in your own work or play, without even mentioning that they
215     exist. If you do publish your changes, you should not be required to
216     notify anyone in particular, or in any particular way.
217     </p>
218    
219     <p>
220 rms 1.93 Freedom 3 includes the freedom to release your modified versions
221 rms 1.89 as free software. A free license may also permit other ways of
222     releasing them; in other words, it does not have to be
223     a <a href="/copyleft/copyleft.html">copyleft</a> license. However, a
224     license that requires modified versions to be nonfree does not qualify
225     as a free license.
226     </p>
227    
228     <p>
229 th_g 1.149 The freedom to redistribute copies must include binary or executable
230     forms of the program, as well as source code, for both modified and
231     unmodified versions. (Distributing programs in runnable form is necessary
232     for conveniently installable free operating systems.) It is OK if there
233     is no way to produce a binary or executable form for a certain program
234     (since some languages don't support that feature), but you must have the
235     freedom to redistribute such forms should you find or develop a way to
236     make them.
237 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
238    
239 th_g 1.149 <h4>Copyleft</h4>
240    
241 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
242 th_g 1.149 Certain kinds of rules about the manner of distributing free
243 webcvs 1.1 software are acceptable, when they don't conflict with the central
244 rms 1.138 freedoms. For example, <a href="/copyleft/copyleft.html">copyleft</a>
245     (very simply stated) is the rule that when redistributing the program,
246     you cannot add restrictions to deny other people the central freedoms.
247     This rule does not conflict with the central freedoms; rather it
248     protects them.
249 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
250    
251     <p>
252 rms 1.138 In the GNU project, we use copyleft to protect the four freedoms
253     legally for everyone. We believe there are important reasons why
254 rms 1.130 <a href="/philosophy/pragmatic.html">it is better to use
255     copyleft</a>. However,
256     <a href="/philosophy/categories.html#Non-CopyleftedFreeSoftware">
257     noncopylefted free software</a> is ethical
258     too. See <a href="/philosophy/categories.html">Categories of Free
259     Software</a> for a description of how &ldquo;free software,&rdquo;
260     &ldquo;copylefted software&rdquo; and other categories of software
261     relate to each other.
262     </p>
263    
264 th_g 1.149 <h4>Rules about packaging and distribution details</h4>
265 rms 1.74
266     <p>
267 th_g 1.149 Rules about how to package a modified version are acceptable,
268 rms 1.98 if they don't substantively limit your freedom to release modified
269     versions, or your freedom to make and use modified versions privately.
270     Thus, it is acceptable for the license to require that you change the
271     name of the modified version, remove a logo, or identify your
272     modifications as yours. As long as these requirements are not so
273     burdensome that they effectively hamper you from releasing your
274     changes, they are acceptable; you're already making other changes to
275     the program, so you won't have trouble making a few more.
276     </p>
277    
278     <p>
279     Rules that &ldquo;if you make your version available in this way, you
280     must make it available in that way also&rdquo; can be acceptable too,
281     on the same condition. An example of such an acceptable rule is one
282     saying that if you have distributed a
283     modified version and a previous developer asks for a copy of it, you
284     must send one. (Note that such a rule still leaves you the choice of
285     whether to distribute your version at all.) Rules that require release
286     of source code to the users for versions that you put into public use
287     are also acceptable.
288 rms 1.39 </p>
289 sinuhe 1.48
290 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
291 rms 1.121 A special issue arises when a license requires changing the name by
292     which the program will be invoked from other programs. That
293     effectively hampers you from releasing your changed version so that it
294     can replace the original when invoked by those other programs. This
295     sort of requirement is acceptable only if there's a suitable aliasing
296     facility that allows you to specify the original program's name as an
297     alias for the modified version.</p>
298    
299 th_g 1.149 <h4>Export regulations</h4>
300    
301 rms 1.121 <p>
302 sinuhe 1.48 Sometimes government <a id="exportcontrol">export control regulations</a>
303     and trade sanctions can constrain your freedom to distribute copies of
304     programs internationally. Software developers do not have the power to
305     eliminate or override these restrictions, but what they can and must do
306     is refuse to impose them as conditions of use of the program. In this
307     way, the restrictions will not affect activities and people outside the
308 rms 1.74 jurisdictions of these governments. Thus, free software licenses
309 rms 1.122 must not require obedience to any nontrivial export regulations as a
310     condition of exercising any of the essential freedoms.
311     </p>
312    
313     <p>
314     Merely mentioning the existence of export regulations, without making
315     them a condition of the license itself, is acceptable since it does
316     not restrict users. If an export regulation is actually trivial for
317     free software, then requiring it as a condition is not an actual
318     problem; however, it is a potential problem, since a later change in
319     export law could make the requirement nontrivial and thus render the
320     software nonfree.
321 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
322    
323 th_g 1.149 <h4>Legal considerations</h4>
324    
325     <p>
326     In order for these freedoms to be real, they must be permanent and
327     irrevocable as long as you do nothing wrong; if the developer of the
328     software has the power to revoke the license, or retroactively add
329     restrictions to its terms, without your doing anything wrong to give
330     cause, the software is not free.
331     </p>
332    
333 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
334 rms 1.131 A free license may not require compliance with the license of a
335     nonfree program. Thus, for instance, if a license requires you to
336     comply with the licenses of &ldquo;all the programs you use&rdquo;, in
337     the case of a user that runs nonfree programs this would require
338     compliance with the licenses of those nonfree programs; that makes the
339     license nonfree.
340     </p>
341    
342     <p>
343 rms 1.129 It is acceptable for a free license to specify which jurisdiction's
344     law applies, or where litigation must be done, or both.
345     </p>
346    
347 th_g 1.149 <h4>Contract-based licenses</h4>
348    
349 rms 1.129 <p>
350 sinuhe 1.48 Most free software licenses are based on copyright, and there are limits
351     on what kinds of requirements can be imposed through copyright. If a
352     copyright-based license respects freedom in the ways described above, it
353     is unlikely to have some other sort of problem that we never anticipated
354     (though this does happen occasionally). However, some free software
355     licenses are based on contracts, and contracts can impose a much larger
356     range of possible restrictions. That means there are many possible ways
357 rms 1.88 such a license could be unacceptably restrictive and nonfree.
358 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
359    
360 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
361 rms 1.41 We can't possibly list all the ways that might happen. If a
362     contract-based license restricts the user in an unusual way that
363     copyright-based licenses cannot, and which isn't mentioned here as
364 sinuhe 1.48 legitimate, we will have to think about it, and we will probably conclude
365 rms 1.88 it is nonfree.
366 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
367    
368 th_g 1.149 <h4>Use the right words when talking about free software</h4>
369    
370 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
371 sinuhe 1.48 When talking about free software, it is best to avoid using terms
372 karl 1.91 like &ldquo;give away&rdquo; or &ldquo;for free,&rdquo; because those terms imply that
373 sinuhe 1.48 the issue is about price, not freedom. Some common terms such
374 karl 1.91 as &ldquo;piracy&rdquo; embody opinions we hope you won't endorse. See
375 sinuhe 1.48 <a href="/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html">Confusing Words and Phrases that
376     are Worth Avoiding</a> for a discussion of these terms. We also have
377 rms 1.88 a list of proper <a href="/philosophy/fs-translations.html">translations of
378 karl 1.91 &ldquo;free software&rdquo;</a> into various languages.
379 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
380    
381 th_g 1.149 <h4>How we interpret these criteria</h4>
382    
383 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
384 webcvs 1.2 Finally, note that criteria such as those stated in this free software
385 sinuhe 1.48 definition require careful thought for their interpretation. To decide
386     whether a specific software license qualifies as a free software license,
387     we judge it based on these criteria to determine whether it fits their
388     spirit as well as the precise words. If a license includes unconscionable
389     restrictions, we reject it, even if we did not anticipate the issue
390     in these criteria. Sometimes a license requirement raises an issue
391     that calls for extensive thought, including discussions with a lawyer,
392     before we can decide if the requirement is acceptable. When we reach
393     a conclusion about a new issue, we often update these criteria to make
394     it easier to see why certain licenses do or don't qualify.
395     </p>
396    
397 th_g 1.149 <h4>Get help with free licenses</h4>
398    
399 sinuhe 1.48 <p>
400     If you are interested in whether a specific license qualifies as a free
401     software license, see our <a href="/licenses/license-list.html">list
402     of licenses</a>. If the license you are concerned with is not
403     listed there, you can ask us about it by sending us email at
404     <a href="mailto:licensing@gnu.org">&lt;licensing@gnu.org&gt;</a>.
405     </p>
406    
407     <p>
408 rms 1.88 If you are contemplating writing a new license, please contact the
409     Free Software Foundation first by writing to that address. The
410     proliferation of different free software licenses means increased work
411     for users in understanding the licenses; we may be able to help you
412     find an existing free software license that meets your needs.
413 novalis 1.29 </p>
414 webcvs 1.2
415 novalis 1.29 <p>
416     If that isn't possible, if you really need a new license, with our
417 rms 1.88 help you can ensure that the license really is a free software license
418 novalis 1.29 and avoid various practical problems.
419     </p>
420 sinuhe 1.48
421 dora 1.117 <h3 id="beyond-software">Beyond Software</h3>
422 rms 1.57
423     <p>
424 yavor 1.61 <a href="/philosophy/free-doc.html">Software manuals must be free</a>,
425     for the same reasons that software must be free, and because the
426     manuals are in effect part of the software.
427 rms 1.57 </p>
428    
429     <p>
430     The same arguments also make sense for other kinds of works of
431 yavor 1.61 practical use &mdash; that is to say, works that embody useful knowledge,
432 rms 1.57 such as educational works and reference
433 jrasata 1.103 works. <a href="http://wikipedia.org">Wikipedia</a> is the best-known
434 rms 1.57 example.
435     </p>
436    
437     <p>
438     Any kind of work <em>can</em> be free, and the definition of free software
439     has been extended to a definition of <a href="http://freedomdefined.org/">
440     free cultural works</a> applicable to any kind of works.
441     </p>
442    
443 dora 1.117 <h3 id="open-source">Open Source?</h3>
444 webcvs 1.1
445 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
446 jrasata 1.143 Another group uses the term &ldquo;open source&rdquo; to mean
447 joeko 1.109 something close (but not identical) to &ldquo;free software&rdquo;. We
448 karl 1.91 prefer the term &ldquo;free software&rdquo; because, once you have heard that
449 yavor 1.61 it refers to freedom rather than price, it calls to mind freedom. The
450 karl 1.91 word &ldquo;open&rdquo; <a href="/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html">
451 yavor 1.61 never refers to freedom</a>.
452 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
453 th_g 1.160 </div>
454 wkotwica 1.24
455 dora 1.117 <h3 id="History">History</h3>
456 brett 1.72
457 rms 1.110 <p>From time to time we revise this Free Software Definition. Here is
458 rms 1.121 the list of substantive changes, along with links to show exactly what
459     was changed.</p>
460 brett 1.72
461     <ul>
462    
463 rms 1.166 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.164&amp;r2=1.165">Version
464     1.165</a>: Clarify that arbitrary annoyances in the code do not
465     negate freedom 0, and that freedoms 1 and 3 enable users to remove them.</li>
466 rms 1.163
467 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
468     1.153</a>: Clarify that freedom to run the program means nothing stops
469     you from making it run.</li>
470    
471 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
472     1.141</a>: Clarify which code needs to be free.</li>
473    
474 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
475     1.135</a>: Say each time that freedom 0 is the freedom to run the program
476     as you wish.</li>
477    
478 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
479     1.134</a>: Freedom 0 is not a matter of the program's functionality.</li>
480    
481 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
482     1.131</a>: A free license may not require compliance with a nonfree license
483     of another program.</li>
484    
485 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
486     1.129</a>: State explicitly that choice of law and choice of forum
487     specifications are allowed. (This was always our policy.)</li>
488    
489 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
490     1.122</a>: An export control requirement is a real problem if the
491     requirement is nontrivial; otherwise it is only a potential problem.</li>
492    
493 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
494     1.118</a>: Clarification: the issue is limits on your right to modify,
495     not on what modifications you have made. And modifications are not limited
496     to &ldquo;improvements&rdquo;</li>
497    
498 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
499     1.111</a>: Clarify 1.77 by saying that only
500     retroactive <em>restrictions</em> are unacceptable. The copyright
501     holders can always grant additional <em>permission</em> for use of the
502     work by releasing the work in another way in parallel.</li>
503    
504 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
505     1.105</a>: Reflect, in the brief statement of freedom 1, the point
506 rms 1.105 (already stated in version 1.80) that it includes really using your modified
507     version for your computing.</li>
508    
509 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
510     1.92</a>: Clarify that obfuscated code does not qualify as source code.</li>
511    
512 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
513     1.90</a>: Clarify that freedom 3 means the right to distribute copies
514     of your own modified or improved version, not a right to participate
515     in someone else's development project.</li>
516    
517 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
518     1.89</a>: Freedom 3 includes the right to release modified versions as
519     free software.</li>
520    
521 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
522     1.80</a>: Freedom 1 must be practical, not just theoretical;
523     i.e., no tivoization.</li>
524    
525 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
526     1.77</a>: Clarify that all retroactive changes to the license are
527     unacceptable, even if it's not described as a complete
528     replacement.</li>
529    
530 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
531 rms 1.75 1.74</a>: Four clarifications of points not explicit enough, or stated
532 rms 1.74 in some places but not reflected everywhere:
533     <ul>
534     <li>"Improvements" does not mean the license can
535     substantively limit what kinds of modified versions you can release.
536     Freedom 3 includes distributing modified versions, not just changes.</li>
537     <li>The right to merge in existing modules
538     refers to those that are suitably licensed.</li>
539     <li>Explicitly state the conclusion of the point about export controls.</li>
540 rms 1.75 <li>Imposing a license change constitutes revoking the old license.</li>
541 rms 1.74 </ul>
542     </li>
543 brett 1.72
544     <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
545     1.57</a>: Add &quot;Beyond Software&quot; section.</li>
546    
547     <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
548     1.46</a>: Clarify whose purpose is significant in the freedom to run
549     the program for any purpose.</li>
550    
551     <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
552     1.41</a>: Clarify wording about contract-based licenses.</li>
553    
554     <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
555     1.40</a>: Explain that a free license must allow to you use other
556 brett 1.73 available free software to create your modifications.</li>
557 brett 1.72
558     <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
559     1.39</a>: Note that it is acceptable for a license to require you to
560     provide source for versions of the software you put into public
561 brett 1.73 use.</li>
562 brett 1.72
563     <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
564     1.31</a>: Note that it is acceptable for a license to require you to
565     identify yourself as the author of modifications. Other minor
566     clarifications throughout the text.</li>
567    
568     <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
569     1.23</a>: Address potential problems related to contract-based
570     licenses.</li>
571    
572     <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
573     1.16</a>: Explain why distribution of binaries is important.</li>
574    
575     <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
576     1.11</a>: Note that a free license may require you to send a copy of
577 rms 1.148 versions you distribute to previous developers on request.</li>
578 brett 1.72
579     </ul>
580    
581 rms 1.110 <p>There are gaps in the version numbers shown above because there are
582 rms 1.126 other changes in this page that do not affect the definition or its
583     interpretations. For instance, the list does not include changes in
584     asides, formatting, spelling, punctuation, or other parts of the page.
585     You can review the complete list of changes to the page through
586 rms 1.110 the <a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;view=log">cvsweb
587 brett 1.72 interface</a>.</p>
588    
589 th_g 1.159 <h3 style="font-size:1em">Footnote</h3>
590     <ol>
591     <li id="f1">The reason they are numbered 0, 1, 2 and 3 is historical. Around
592     1990 there were three freedoms, numbered 1, 2 and 3. Then we realized that
593     the freedom to run the program needed to be mentioned explicitly.
594     It was clearly more basic than the other three, so it properly should
595     precede them. Rather than renumber the others, we made it freedom&nbsp;0.</li>
596     </ol>
597 alex_muntada 1.32
598 ineiev 1.123 </div><!-- for id="content", starts in the include above -->
599 mattl 1.52 <!--#include virtual="/server/footer.html" -->
600     <div id="footer">
601 ineiev 1.132 <div class="unprintable">
602 wkotwica 1.24
603 ineiev 1.123 <p>Please send general FSF &amp; GNU inquiries to
604 yavor 1.82 <a href="mailto:gnu@gnu.org">&lt;gnu@gnu.org&gt;</a>.
605 ineiev 1.123 There are also <a href="/contact/">other ways to contact</a>
606     the FSF. Broken links and other corrections or suggestions can be sent
607     to <a href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org">&lt;webmasters@gnu.org&gt;</a>.</p>
608    
609     <p><!-- TRANSLATORS: Ignore the original text in this paragraph,
610     replace it with the translation of these two:
611    
612     We work hard and do our best to provide accurate, good quality
613     translations. However, we are not exempt from imperfection.
614     Please send your comments and general suggestions in this regard
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617    
618     <p>For information on coordinating and submitting translations of
619     our web pages, see <a
620     href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations
621     README</a>. -->
622     Please see the <a
623     href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations
624     README</a> for information on coordinating and submitting translations
625     of this article.</p>
626 ineiev 1.132 </div>
627 ineiev 1.123
628     <!-- Regarding copyright, in general, standalone pages (as opposed to
629     files generated as part of manuals) on the GNU web server should
630 gnun 1.142 be under CC BY-ND 4.0. Please do NOT change or remove this
631 ineiev 1.123 without talking with the webmasters or licensing team first.
632     Please make sure the copyright date is consistent with the
633     document. For web pages, it is ok to list just the latest year the
634     document was modified, or published.
635    
636     If you wish to list earlier years, that is ok too.
637     Either "2001, 2002, 2003" or "2001-2003" are ok for specifying
638     years, as long as each year in the range is in fact a copyrightable
639     year, i.e., a year in which the document was published (including
640     being publicly visible on the web or in a revision control system).
641    
642     There is more detail about copyright years in the GNU Maintainers
643     Information document, www.gnu.org/prep/maintain. -->
644 wkotwica 1.24
645 gnun 1.164 <p>Copyright &copy; 1996, 2002, 2004-2007, 2009-2019
646 ineiev 1.123 Free Software Foundation, Inc.</p>
647 wkotwica 1.24
648 jturner 1.104 <p>This page is licensed under a <a rel="license"
649 gnun 1.142 href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">Creative
650     Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.</p>
651 wkotwica 1.24
652 ineiev 1.119 <!--#include virtual="/server/bottom-notes.html" -->
653    
654 ineiev 1.133 <p class="unprintable">Updated:
655 paulv 1.3 <!-- timestamp start -->
656 rms 1.166 $Date: 2019/07/29 21:25:25 $
657 paulv 1.3 <!-- timestamp end -->
658 wkotwica 1.24 </p>
659     </div>
660 ineiev 1.162 </div><!-- for class="inner", starts in the banner include -->
661 wkotwica 1.24 </body>
662     </html>

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