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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 1.125 <p>The rest of this page clarifies certain points about what makes
123     specific freedoms adequate or not.</p>
124    
125 th_g 1.149 <h4>The freedom to run the program as you wish</h4>
126 sinuhe 1.48
127 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
128 sinuhe 1.48 The freedom to run the program means the freedom for any kind of person
129     or organization to use it on any kind of computer system, for any kind of
130     overall job and purpose, without being required to communicate about it
131     with the developer or any other specific entity. In this freedom, it is
132     the <em>user's</em> purpose that matters, not the <em>developer's</em>
133 rms 1.88 purpose; you as a user are free to run the program for your purposes,
134 sinuhe 1.48 and if you distribute it to someone else, she is then free to run it
135     for her purposes, but you are not entitled to impose your purposes on her.
136 rms 1.46 </p>
137 sinuhe 1.48
138 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
139 rms 1.134 The freedom to run the program as you wish means that you are not
140 rms 1.153 forbidden or stopped from making it run. This has nothing to do with what
141     functionality the program has, whether it is technically capable of
142     functioning in any given environment, or whether it is useful for any
143     particular computing activity.</p>
144 rms 1.134
145 th_g 1.149 <h4>The freedom to study the source code and make changes</h4>
146 sinuhe 1.48
147 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
148 rms 1.88 In order for freedoms 1 and 3 (the freedom to make changes and the
149 rms 1.118 freedom to publish the changed versions) to be meaningful, you must have
150 rms 1.88 access to the source code of the program. Therefore, accessibility of
151 rms 1.92 source code is a necessary condition for free software. Obfuscated
152     &ldquo;source code&rdquo; is not real source code and does not count
153     as source code.
154 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
155    
156 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
157 rms 1.80 Freedom 1 includes the freedom to use your changed version in place of
158     the original. If the program is delivered in a product designed to
159 rms 1.105 run someone else's modified versions but refuse to run yours &mdash; a
160     practice known as &ldquo;tivoization&rdquo; or &ldquo;lockdown&rdquo;,
161     or (in its practitioners' perverse terminology) as &ldquo;secure
162 rms 1.137 boot&rdquo; &mdash; freedom 1 becomes an empty pretense rather than a
163     practical reality. These binaries are not free
164     software even if the source code they are compiled from is free.
165 rms 1.80 </p>
166    
167     <p>
168 rms 1.74 One important way to modify a program is by merging in available free
169     subroutines and modules. If the program's license says that you
170 rms 1.88 cannot merge in a suitably licensed existing module &mdash; for instance, if it
171     requires you to be the copyright holder of any code you add &mdash; then the
172 rms 1.74 license is too restrictive to qualify as free.
173 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
174    
175 novalis 1.40 <p>
176 th_g 1.149 Whether a change constitutes an improvement is a subjective matter.
177     If your right to modify a program is limited, in substance, to changes that
178     someone else considers an improvement, that program is not free.
179     </p>
180    
181     <h4>The freedom to redistribute if you wish: basic requirements</h4>
182    
183     <p>Freedom to distribute (freedoms 2 and 3) means you are free to
184     redistribute copies, either with or without modifications, either
185     gratis or charging a fee for distribution, to
186     <a href="#exportcontrol">anyone anywhere</a>. Being free to do these
187     things means (among other things) that you do not have to ask or pay
188     for permission to do so.
189     </p>
190    
191     <p>
192     You should also have the freedom to make modifications and use them
193     privately in your own work or play, without even mentioning that they
194     exist. If you do publish your changes, you should not be required to
195     notify anyone in particular, or in any particular way.
196     </p>
197    
198     <p>
199 rms 1.93 Freedom 3 includes the freedom to release your modified versions
200 rms 1.89 as free software. A free license may also permit other ways of
201     releasing them; in other words, it does not have to be
202     a <a href="/copyleft/copyleft.html">copyleft</a> license. However, a
203     license that requires modified versions to be nonfree does not qualify
204     as a free license.
205     </p>
206    
207     <p>
208 th_g 1.149 The freedom to redistribute copies must include binary or executable
209     forms of the program, as well as source code, for both modified and
210     unmodified versions. (Distributing programs in runnable form is necessary
211     for conveniently installable free operating systems.) It is OK if there
212     is no way to produce a binary or executable form for a certain program
213     (since some languages don't support that feature), but you must have the
214     freedom to redistribute such forms should you find or develop a way to
215     make them.
216 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
217    
218 th_g 1.149 <h4>Copyleft</h4>
219    
220 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
221 th_g 1.149 Certain kinds of rules about the manner of distributing free
222 webcvs 1.1 software are acceptable, when they don't conflict with the central
223 rms 1.138 freedoms. For example, <a href="/copyleft/copyleft.html">copyleft</a>
224     (very simply stated) is the rule that when redistributing the program,
225     you cannot add restrictions to deny other people the central freedoms.
226     This rule does not conflict with the central freedoms; rather it
227     protects them.
228 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
229    
230     <p>
231 rms 1.138 In the GNU project, we use copyleft to protect the four freedoms
232     legally for everyone. We believe there are important reasons why
233 rms 1.130 <a href="/philosophy/pragmatic.html">it is better to use
234     copyleft</a>. However,
235     <a href="/philosophy/categories.html#Non-CopyleftedFreeSoftware">
236     noncopylefted free software</a> is ethical
237     too. See <a href="/philosophy/categories.html">Categories of Free
238     Software</a> for a description of how &ldquo;free software,&rdquo;
239     &ldquo;copylefted software&rdquo; and other categories of software
240     relate to each other.
241     </p>
242    
243 th_g 1.149 <h4>Rules about packaging and distribution details</h4>
244 rms 1.74
245     <p>
246 th_g 1.149 Rules about how to package a modified version are acceptable,
247 rms 1.98 if they don't substantively limit your freedom to release modified
248     versions, or your freedom to make and use modified versions privately.
249     Thus, it is acceptable for the license to require that you change the
250     name of the modified version, remove a logo, or identify your
251     modifications as yours. As long as these requirements are not so
252     burdensome that they effectively hamper you from releasing your
253     changes, they are acceptable; you're already making other changes to
254     the program, so you won't have trouble making a few more.
255     </p>
256    
257     <p>
258     Rules that &ldquo;if you make your version available in this way, you
259     must make it available in that way also&rdquo; can be acceptable too,
260     on the same condition. An example of such an acceptable rule is one
261     saying that if you have distributed a
262     modified version and a previous developer asks for a copy of it, you
263     must send one. (Note that such a rule still leaves you the choice of
264     whether to distribute your version at all.) Rules that require release
265     of source code to the users for versions that you put into public use
266     are also acceptable.
267 rms 1.39 </p>
268 sinuhe 1.48
269 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
270 rms 1.121 A special issue arises when a license requires changing the name by
271     which the program will be invoked from other programs. That
272     effectively hampers you from releasing your changed version so that it
273     can replace the original when invoked by those other programs. This
274     sort of requirement is acceptable only if there's a suitable aliasing
275     facility that allows you to specify the original program's name as an
276     alias for the modified version.</p>
277    
278 th_g 1.149 <h4>Export regulations</h4>
279    
280 rms 1.121 <p>
281 sinuhe 1.48 Sometimes government <a id="exportcontrol">export control regulations</a>
282     and trade sanctions can constrain your freedom to distribute copies of
283     programs internationally. Software developers do not have the power to
284     eliminate or override these restrictions, but what they can and must do
285     is refuse to impose them as conditions of use of the program. In this
286     way, the restrictions will not affect activities and people outside the
287 rms 1.74 jurisdictions of these governments. Thus, free software licenses
288 rms 1.122 must not require obedience to any nontrivial export regulations as a
289     condition of exercising any of the essential freedoms.
290     </p>
291    
292     <p>
293     Merely mentioning the existence of export regulations, without making
294     them a condition of the license itself, is acceptable since it does
295     not restrict users. If an export regulation is actually trivial for
296     free software, then requiring it as a condition is not an actual
297     problem; however, it is a potential problem, since a later change in
298     export law could make the requirement nontrivial and thus render the
299     software nonfree.
300 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
301    
302 th_g 1.149 <h4>Legal considerations</h4>
303    
304     <p>
305     In order for these freedoms to be real, they must be permanent and
306     irrevocable as long as you do nothing wrong; if the developer of the
307     software has the power to revoke the license, or retroactively add
308     restrictions to its terms, without your doing anything wrong to give
309     cause, the software is not free.
310     </p>
311    
312 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
313 rms 1.131 A free license may not require compliance with the license of a
314     nonfree program. Thus, for instance, if a license requires you to
315     comply with the licenses of &ldquo;all the programs you use&rdquo;, in
316     the case of a user that runs nonfree programs this would require
317     compliance with the licenses of those nonfree programs; that makes the
318     license nonfree.
319     </p>
320    
321     <p>
322 rms 1.129 It is acceptable for a free license to specify which jurisdiction's
323     law applies, or where litigation must be done, or both.
324     </p>
325    
326 th_g 1.149 <h4>Contract-based licenses</h4>
327    
328 rms 1.129 <p>
329 sinuhe 1.48 Most free software licenses are based on copyright, and there are limits
330     on what kinds of requirements can be imposed through copyright. If a
331     copyright-based license respects freedom in the ways described above, it
332     is unlikely to have some other sort of problem that we never anticipated
333     (though this does happen occasionally). However, some free software
334     licenses are based on contracts, and contracts can impose a much larger
335     range of possible restrictions. That means there are many possible ways
336 rms 1.88 such a license could be unacceptably restrictive and nonfree.
337 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
338    
339 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
340 rms 1.41 We can't possibly list all the ways that might happen. If a
341     contract-based license restricts the user in an unusual way that
342     copyright-based licenses cannot, and which isn't mentioned here as
343 sinuhe 1.48 legitimate, we will have to think about it, and we will probably conclude
344 rms 1.88 it is nonfree.
345 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
346    
347 th_g 1.149 <h4>Use the right words when talking about free software</h4>
348    
349 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
350 sinuhe 1.48 When talking about free software, it is best to avoid using terms
351 karl 1.91 like &ldquo;give away&rdquo; or &ldquo;for free,&rdquo; because those terms imply that
352 sinuhe 1.48 the issue is about price, not freedom. Some common terms such
353 karl 1.91 as &ldquo;piracy&rdquo; embody opinions we hope you won't endorse. See
354 sinuhe 1.48 <a href="/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html">Confusing Words and Phrases that
355     are Worth Avoiding</a> for a discussion of these terms. We also have
356 rms 1.88 a list of proper <a href="/philosophy/fs-translations.html">translations of
357 karl 1.91 &ldquo;free software&rdquo;</a> into various languages.
358 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
359    
360 th_g 1.149 <h4>How we interpret these criteria</h4>
361    
362 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
363 webcvs 1.2 Finally, note that criteria such as those stated in this free software
364 sinuhe 1.48 definition require careful thought for their interpretation. To decide
365     whether a specific software license qualifies as a free software license,
366     we judge it based on these criteria to determine whether it fits their
367     spirit as well as the precise words. If a license includes unconscionable
368     restrictions, we reject it, even if we did not anticipate the issue
369     in these criteria. Sometimes a license requirement raises an issue
370     that calls for extensive thought, including discussions with a lawyer,
371     before we can decide if the requirement is acceptable. When we reach
372     a conclusion about a new issue, we often update these criteria to make
373     it easier to see why certain licenses do or don't qualify.
374     </p>
375    
376 th_g 1.149 <h4>Get help with free licenses</h4>
377    
378 sinuhe 1.48 <p>
379     If you are interested in whether a specific license qualifies as a free
380     software license, see our <a href="/licenses/license-list.html">list
381     of licenses</a>. If the license you are concerned with is not
382     listed there, you can ask us about it by sending us email at
383     <a href="mailto:licensing@gnu.org">&lt;licensing@gnu.org&gt;</a>.
384     </p>
385    
386     <p>
387 rms 1.88 If you are contemplating writing a new license, please contact the
388     Free Software Foundation first by writing to that address. The
389     proliferation of different free software licenses means increased work
390     for users in understanding the licenses; we may be able to help you
391     find an existing free software license that meets your needs.
392 novalis 1.29 </p>
393 webcvs 1.2
394 novalis 1.29 <p>
395     If that isn't possible, if you really need a new license, with our
396 rms 1.88 help you can ensure that the license really is a free software license
397 novalis 1.29 and avoid various practical problems.
398     </p>
399 sinuhe 1.48
400 dora 1.117 <h3 id="beyond-software">Beyond Software</h3>
401 rms 1.57
402     <p>
403 yavor 1.61 <a href="/philosophy/free-doc.html">Software manuals must be free</a>,
404     for the same reasons that software must be free, and because the
405     manuals are in effect part of the software.
406 rms 1.57 </p>
407    
408     <p>
409     The same arguments also make sense for other kinds of works of
410 yavor 1.61 practical use &mdash; that is to say, works that embody useful knowledge,
411 rms 1.57 such as educational works and reference
412 jrasata 1.103 works. <a href="http://wikipedia.org">Wikipedia</a> is the best-known
413 rms 1.57 example.
414     </p>
415    
416     <p>
417     Any kind of work <em>can</em> be free, and the definition of free software
418     has been extended to a definition of <a href="http://freedomdefined.org/">
419     free cultural works</a> applicable to any kind of works.
420     </p>
421    
422 dora 1.117 <h3 id="open-source">Open Source?</h3>
423 webcvs 1.1
424 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
425 jrasata 1.143 Another group uses the term &ldquo;open source&rdquo; to mean
426 joeko 1.109 something close (but not identical) to &ldquo;free software&rdquo;. We
427 karl 1.91 prefer the term &ldquo;free software&rdquo; because, once you have heard that
428 yavor 1.61 it refers to freedom rather than price, it calls to mind freedom. The
429 karl 1.91 word &ldquo;open&rdquo; <a href="/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html">
430 yavor 1.61 never refers to freedom</a>.
431 sinuhe 1.48 </p>
432 th_g 1.160 </div>
433 wkotwica 1.24
434 dora 1.117 <h3 id="History">History</h3>
435 brett 1.72
436 rms 1.110 <p>From time to time we revise this Free Software Definition. Here is
437 rms 1.121 the list of substantive changes, along with links to show exactly what
438     was changed.</p>
439 brett 1.72
440     <ul>
441    
442 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
443     1.153</a>: Clarify that freedom to run the program means nothing stops
444     you from making it run.</li>
445    
446 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
447     1.141</a>: Clarify which code needs to be free.</li>
448    
449 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
450     1.135</a>: Say each time that freedom 0 is the freedom to run the program
451     as you wish.</li>
452    
453 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
454     1.134</a>: Freedom 0 is not a matter of the program's functionality.</li>
455    
456 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
457     1.131</a>: A free license may not require compliance with a nonfree license
458     of another program.</li>
459    
460 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
461     1.129</a>: State explicitly that choice of law and choice of forum
462     specifications are allowed. (This was always our policy.)</li>
463    
464 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
465     1.122</a>: An export control requirement is a real problem if the
466     requirement is nontrivial; otherwise it is only a potential problem.</li>
467    
468 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
469     1.118</a>: Clarification: the issue is limits on your right to modify,
470     not on what modifications you have made. And modifications are not limited
471     to &ldquo;improvements&rdquo;</li>
472    
473 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
474     1.111</a>: Clarify 1.77 by saying that only
475     retroactive <em>restrictions</em> are unacceptable. The copyright
476     holders can always grant additional <em>permission</em> for use of the
477     work by releasing the work in another way in parallel.</li>
478    
479 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
480     1.105</a>: Reflect, in the brief statement of freedom 1, the point
481 rms 1.105 (already stated in version 1.80) that it includes really using your modified
482     version for your computing.</li>
483    
484 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
485     1.92</a>: Clarify that obfuscated code does not qualify as source code.</li>
486    
487 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
488     1.90</a>: Clarify that freedom 3 means the right to distribute copies
489     of your own modified or improved version, not a right to participate
490     in someone else's development project.</li>
491    
492 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
493     1.89</a>: Freedom 3 includes the right to release modified versions as
494     free software.</li>
495    
496 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
497     1.80</a>: Freedom 1 must be practical, not just theoretical;
498     i.e., no tivoization.</li>
499    
500 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
501     1.77</a>: Clarify that all retroactive changes to the license are
502     unacceptable, even if it's not described as a complete
503     replacement.</li>
504    
505 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
506 rms 1.75 1.74</a>: Four clarifications of points not explicit enough, or stated
507 rms 1.74 in some places but not reflected everywhere:
508     <ul>
509     <li>"Improvements" does not mean the license can
510     substantively limit what kinds of modified versions you can release.
511     Freedom 3 includes distributing modified versions, not just changes.</li>
512     <li>The right to merge in existing modules
513     refers to those that are suitably licensed.</li>
514     <li>Explicitly state the conclusion of the point about export controls.</li>
515 rms 1.75 <li>Imposing a license change constitutes revoking the old license.</li>
516 rms 1.74 </ul>
517     </li>
518 brett 1.72
519     <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
520     1.57</a>: Add &quot;Beyond Software&quot; section.</li>
521    
522     <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
523     1.46</a>: Clarify whose purpose is significant in the freedom to run
524     the program for any purpose.</li>
525    
526     <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
527     1.41</a>: Clarify wording about contract-based licenses.</li>
528    
529     <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
530     1.40</a>: Explain that a free license must allow to you use other
531 brett 1.73 available free software to create your modifications.</li>
532 brett 1.72
533     <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
534     1.39</a>: Note that it is acceptable for a license to require you to
535     provide source for versions of the software you put into public
536 brett 1.73 use.</li>
537 brett 1.72
538     <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
539     1.31</a>: Note that it is acceptable for a license to require you to
540     identify yourself as the author of modifications. Other minor
541     clarifications throughout the text.</li>
542    
543     <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
544     1.23</a>: Address potential problems related to contract-based
545     licenses.</li>
546    
547     <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
548     1.16</a>: Explain why distribution of binaries is important.</li>
549    
550     <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
551     1.11</a>: Note that a free license may require you to send a copy of
552 rms 1.148 versions you distribute to previous developers on request.</li>
553 brett 1.72
554     </ul>
555    
556 rms 1.110 <p>There are gaps in the version numbers shown above because there are
557 rms 1.126 other changes in this page that do not affect the definition or its
558     interpretations. For instance, the list does not include changes in
559     asides, formatting, spelling, punctuation, or other parts of the page.
560     You can review the complete list of changes to the page through
561 rms 1.110 the <a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;view=log">cvsweb
562 brett 1.72 interface</a>.</p>
563    
564 th_g 1.159 <h3 style="font-size:1em">Footnote</h3>
565     <ol>
566     <li id="f1">The reason they are numbered 0, 1, 2 and 3 is historical. Around
567     1990 there were three freedoms, numbered 1, 2 and 3. Then we realized that
568     the freedom to run the program needed to be mentioned explicitly.
569     It was clearly more basic than the other three, so it properly should
570     precede them. Rather than renumber the others, we made it freedom&nbsp;0.</li>
571     </ol>
572 alex_muntada 1.32
573 ineiev 1.123 </div><!-- for id="content", starts in the include above -->
574 mattl 1.52 <!--#include virtual="/server/footer.html" -->
575     <div id="footer">
576 ineiev 1.132 <div class="unprintable">
577 wkotwica 1.24
578 ineiev 1.123 <p>Please send general FSF &amp; GNU inquiries to
579 yavor 1.82 <a href="mailto:gnu@gnu.org">&lt;gnu@gnu.org&gt;</a>.
580 ineiev 1.123 There are also <a href="/contact/">other ways to contact</a>
581     the FSF. Broken links and other corrections or suggestions can be sent
582     to <a href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org">&lt;webmasters@gnu.org&gt;</a>.</p>
583    
584     <p><!-- TRANSLATORS: Ignore the original text in this paragraph,
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586    
587     We work hard and do our best to provide accurate, good quality
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592    
593     <p>For information on coordinating and submitting translations of
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598     href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations
599     README</a> for information on coordinating and submitting translations
600     of this article.</p>
601 ineiev 1.132 </div>
602 ineiev 1.123
603     <!-- Regarding copyright, in general, standalone pages (as opposed to
604     files generated as part of manuals) on the GNU web server should
605 gnun 1.142 be under CC BY-ND 4.0. Please do NOT change or remove this
606 ineiev 1.123 without talking with the webmasters or licensing team first.
607     Please make sure the copyright date is consistent with the
608     document. For web pages, it is ok to list just the latest year the
609     document was modified, or published.
610    
611     If you wish to list earlier years, that is ok too.
612     Either "2001, 2002, 2003" or "2001-2003" are ok for specifying
613     years, as long as each year in the range is in fact a copyrightable
614     year, i.e., a year in which the document was published (including
615     being publicly visible on the web or in a revision control system).
616    
617     There is more detail about copyright years in the GNU Maintainers
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619 wkotwica 1.24
620 gnun 1.156 <p>Copyright &copy; 1996, 2002, 2004-2007, 2009-2018
621 ineiev 1.123 Free Software Foundation, Inc.</p>
622 wkotwica 1.24
623 jturner 1.104 <p>This page is licensed under a <a rel="license"
624 gnun 1.142 href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">Creative
625     Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.</p>
626 wkotwica 1.24
627 ineiev 1.119 <!--#include virtual="/server/bottom-notes.html" -->
628    
629 ineiev 1.133 <p class="unprintable">Updated:
630 paulv 1.3 <!-- timestamp start -->
631 ineiev 1.162 $Date: 2018/12/15 13:16:00 $
632 paulv 1.3 <!-- timestamp end -->
633 wkotwica 1.24 </p>
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636 wkotwica 1.24 </body>
637     </html>

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