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5    
6     <head>
7     <title>The Free Software Definition - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation (FSF)</title>
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10 wkotwica 1.26 <link rev="made" href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org" />
11 wkotwica 1.24 </head>
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21 johnsu01 1.45 <div id="header">
22     <a href="http://www.defectivebydesign.org/join/gnu"><img src="/graphics/dbd.png" alt="[Join the FSF Campaign to Eliminate DRM]" /></a>
23     </div>
24    
25     <hr />
26    
27 wkotwica 1.24 <p><a href="#translations">Translations</a> of this page</p>
28    
29     <h3>The Free Software Definition</h3>
30     <p>
31     <a href="/graphics/philosophicalgnu.html"><img src="/graphics/philosophical-gnu-sm.jpg" alt=" [image of a Philosophical Gnu] " width="160" height="200" /></a>
32     </p>
33 webcvs 1.1
34 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
35 webcvs 1.2 We maintain this free software definition to show clearly what must be
36     true about a particular software program for it to be considered
37 wkotwica 1.24 free software.</p>
38     <p>
39 paulv 1.3 ``Free software'' is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the
40     concept, you should think of ``free'' as in ``free speech,'' not as in
41 wkotwica 1.24 ``free beer.''</p>
42     <p>
43 rms 1.5 Free software is a matter of the users' freedom to run, copy,
44 webcvs 1.1 distribute, study, change and improve the software. More precisely,
45 wkotwica 1.24 it refers to four kinds of freedom, for the users of the software:</p>
46 webcvs 1.1
47 wkotwica 1.24 <ul>
48     <li>The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0).</li>
49     <li>The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs
50     (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.</li>
51     <li>The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor
52     (freedom 2).</li>
53     <li>The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements
54 rps 1.21 to the public, so that the whole community benefits
55 wkotwica 1.24 (freedom 3). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.</li>
56     </ul>
57 webcvs 1.1
58 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
59 webcvs 1.1 A program is free software if users have all of these freedoms.
60     Thus, you should be free to redistribute copies, either with or
61     without modifications, either gratis or charging a fee for
62 wkotwica 1.24 distribution, to <a href="#exportcontrol">anyone anywhere</a>. Being
63 webcvs 1.1 free to do these things means (among other things) that you do not
64 wkotwica 1.24 have to ask or pay for permission.</p>
65     <p>
66 webcvs 1.1 You should also have the freedom to make modifications and use them
67     privately in your own work or play, without even mentioning that they
68     exist. If you do publish your changes, you should not be required to
69 wkotwica 1.24 notify anyone in particular, or in any particular way.</p>
70     <p>
71 webcvs 1.1 The freedom to use a program means the freedom for any kind of person
72     or organization to use it on any kind of computer system, for any kind
73     of overall job, and without being required to communicate subsequently
74 wkotwica 1.24 with the developer or any other specific entity.</p>
75     <p>
76 webcvs 1.1 The freedom to redistribute copies must include binary or executable
77 rms 1.5 forms of the program, as well as source code, for both modified and
78 rms 1.16 unmodified versions. (Distributing programs in runnable form is
79     necessary for conveniently installable free operating systems.) It is
80     ok if there is no way to produce a binary or executable form for a
81     certain program (since some languages don't support that feature), but
82     you must have the freedom to redistribute such forms should you find
83 wkotwica 1.24 or develop a way to make them.</p>
84     <p>
85 webcvs 1.1 In order for the freedoms to make changes, and to publish improved
86     versions, to be meaningful, you must have access to the source code of
87     the program. Therefore, accessibility of source code is a necessary
88 wkotwica 1.24 condition for free software.</p>
89     <p>
90 novalis 1.40 One important way to modify a program is by merging in available free
91     subroutines and modules. If the program's license says that you
92     cannot merge in an existing module, such as if it requires you to be
93     the copyright holder of any code you add, then the license is too
94     restrictive to qualify as free.</p>
95     <p>
96 webcvs 1.1 In order for these freedoms to be real, they must be irrevocable as
97     long as you do nothing wrong; if the developer of the software has the
98     power to revoke the license, without your doing anything to give
99 wkotwica 1.24 cause, the software is not free.</p>
100     <p>
101 webcvs 1.1 However, certain kinds of rules about the manner of distributing free
102     software are acceptable, when they don't conflict with the central
103     freedoms. For example, copyleft (very simply stated) is the rule that
104     when redistributing the program, you cannot add restrictions to deny
105     other people the central freedoms. This rule does not conflict with
106 wkotwica 1.24 the central freedoms; rather it protects them.</p>
107     <p>
108 rms 1.31 You may have paid money to get copies of free software, or you
109 webcvs 1.1 may have obtained copies at no charge. But regardless of how you got
110     your copies, you always have the freedom to copy and change the
111 wkotwica 1.24 software, even to <a href="/philosophy/selling.html">sell copies</a>.</p>
112     <p>
113 webcvs 1.1 ``Free software'' does not mean ``non-commercial''. A free program
114 rms 1.11 must be available for commercial use, commercial development, and
115     commercial distribution. Commercial development of free software is
116 wkotwica 1.24 no longer unusual; such free commercial software is very important.</p>
117     <p>
118 webcvs 1.1 Rules about how to package a modified version are acceptable, if they
119 rms 1.39 don't substantively block your freedom to release modified versions,
120     or your freedom to make and use modified versions privately. Rules
121     that ``if you make your version available in this way, you must make
122     it available in that way also'' can be acceptable too, on the same
123     condition. (Note that such a rule still leaves you the choice of
124     whether to publish your version at all.) Rules that require release
125     of source code to the users for versions that you put into public use
126     are also acceptable. It is also acceptable for the license to require
127     that, if you have distributed a modified version and a previous
128     developer asks for a copy of it, you must send one, or that you
129     identify yourself on your modifications.
130     </p>
131 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
132     In the GNU project, we use <a href="/copyleft/copyleft.html">``copyleft''</a>
133     to protect these freedoms legally for everyone. But
134     <a href="/philosophy/categories.html#Non-CopyleftedFreeSoftware">non-copylefted
135     free software</a> also exists. We believe there are
136     important reasons why <a href="/philosophy/pragmatic.html"> it is
137     better to use copyleft</a>, but if your program is non-copylefted free
138     software, we can still use it.</p>
139     <p>
140     See <a href="/philosophy/categories.html">Categories of Free Software</a>
141 webcvs 1.1 for a description of how ``free software,'' ``copylefted software'' and
142 wkotwica 1.24 other categories of software relate to each other.</p>
143     <p>
144     Sometimes government <a id="exportcontrol">export control
145     regulations</a> and trade sanctions can constrain your freedom to
146 webcvs 1.1 distribute copies of programs internationally. Software developers do
147     not have the power to eliminate or override these restrictions, but
148     what they can and must do is refuse to impose them as conditions of
149     use of the program. In this way, the restrictions will not affect
150 wkotwica 1.24 activities and people outside the jurisdictions of these governments.</p>
151     <p>
152 rms 1.23 Most free software licenses are based on copyright, and there are
153     limits on what kinds of requirements can be imposed through copyright.
154     If a copyright-based license respects freedom in the ways described
155     above, it is unlikely to have some other sort of problem that we never
156     anticipated (though this does happen occasionally). However, some
157     free software licenses are based on contracts, and contracts can
158     impose a much larger range of possible restrictions. That means there
159     are many possible ways such a license could be unacceptably
160 wkotwica 1.24 restrictive and non-free.</p>
161     <p>
162 rms 1.41 We can't possibly list all the ways that might happen. If a
163     contract-based license restricts the user in an unusual way that
164     copyright-based licenses cannot, and which isn't mentioned here as
165     legitimate, we will have to think about it, and we will probably
166     conclude it is non-free.</p>
167 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
168 webcvs 1.1 When talking about free software, it is best to avoid using terms like
169     ``give away'' or ``for free'', because those terms imply that the
170     issue is about price, not freedom. Some common terms such as
171 wkotwica 1.24 ``piracy'' embody opinions we hope you won't endorse. See
172     <a href="/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html">Confusing Words and Phrases
173     that are Worth Avoiding</a> for a discussion of these terms.
174     We also have a list of <a href="/philosophy/fs-translations.html">translations
175     of "free software"</a> into various languages.</p>
176     <p>
177 webcvs 1.2 Finally, note that criteria such as those stated in this free software
178     definition require careful thought for their interpretation. To
179     decide whether a specific software license qualifies as a free
180     software license, we judge it based on these criteria to determine
181     whether it fits their spirit as well as the precise words. If a
182     license includes unconscionable restrictions, we reject it, even if we
183     did not anticipate the issue in these criteria. Sometimes a license
184 rms 1.11 requirement raises an issue that calls for extensive thought,
185     including discussions with a lawyer, before we can decide if the
186     requirement is acceptable. When we reach a conclusion about a new
187     issue, we often update these criteria to make it easier to see why
188 wkotwica 1.24 certain licenses do or don't qualify.</p>
189     <p>
190 webcvs 1.2 If you are interested in whether a specific license qualifies as a
191 novalis 1.29 free software license, see our <a
192     href="/licenses/license-list.html">list of licenses</a>. If the
193 webcvs 1.2 license you are concerned with is not listed there, you can ask us
194 novalis 1.29 about it by sending us email at <a
195     href="mailto:licensing@gnu.org">&lt;licensing@gnu.org&gt;</a>.</p> <p>
196     If you are contemplating writing a new license, please contact the FSF
197     by writing to that address. The proliferation of different free
198     software licenses means increased work for users in understanding the
199     licenses; we may be able to help you find an existing Free Software
200     license that meets your needs.
201     </p>
202 webcvs 1.2
203 novalis 1.29 <p>
204     If that isn't possible, if you really need a new license, with our
205     help you can ensure that the license really is a Free Software license
206     and avoid various practical problems.
207     </p>
208 wkotwica 1.24 <hr />
209 webcvs 1.1
210 wkotwica 1.24 <p>
211 rms 1.11 Another group has started using the term "open source" to mean
212     something close (but not identical) to "free software". We prefer the
213     term "free software" because, once you have heard it refers to freedom
214 wkotwica 1.24 rather than price, <a href="free-software-for-freedom.html">it calls
215 rms 1.31 to mind freedom</a>. The word "open" never does that.</p>
216 wkotwica 1.24
217     <hr />
218     <h4><a href="/philosophy/philosophy.html">Other Texts to Read</a></h4>
219    
220 webcvs 1.1
221 wkotwica 1.24 <!-- All pages on the GNU web server should have the section about -->
222     <!-- verbatim copying. Please do NOT remove this without talking -->
223     <!-- with the webmasters first. -->
224     <!-- Please make sure the copyright date is consistent with the document -->
225     <!-- and that it is like this "2001, 2002" not this "2001-2002." -->
226    
227     <div class="translations">
228     <p><a id="translations"></a>
229     <b>Translations of this page</b>:<br />
230    
231     <!-- Please keep this list alphabetical, and in the original -->
232     <!-- language if possible, otherwise default to English -->
233     <!-- If you do not have it English, please comment what the -->
234     <!-- English is. If you add a new language here, please -->
235 alex_muntada 1.36 <!-- advise web-translators@gnu.org and add it to -->
236 wkotwica 1.24 <!-- - in /home/www/bin/nightly-vars either TAGSLANG or WEBLANG -->
237     <!-- - in /home/www/html/server/standards/README.translations.html -->
238     <!-- one of the lists under the section "Translations Underway" -->
239     <!-- - if there is a translation team, you also have to add an alias -->
240     <!-- to mail.gnu.org:/com/mailer/aliases -->
241     <!-- Please also check you have the 2 letter language code right versus -->
242     <!-- http://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/IG/ert/iso639.htm -->
243 rms46 1.10 [
244 hicham 1.44 <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.ar.html">&#1575;&#1604;&#1593;&#1585;&#1576;&#1610;&#1577;</a> |<!-- Arabic -->
245 alex_muntada 1.32 <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.ca.html">Catal&#x00e0;</a> <!-- Catalan -->
246    
247 chstoneliu 1.30 <!-- Chinese (Simplified) -->
248 alex_muntada 1.32 | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.cn.html">&#x7b80;&#x4f53;&#x4e2d;&#x6587;</a>
249 chstoneliu 1.30
250     <!-- Chinese (Traditional) -->
251     | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.zh.html">&#x7e41;&#x9ad4;&#x4e2d;&#x6587;</a>
252    
253     | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.cs.html">&#x010c;esky</a> <!-- Czech -->
254 wkotwica 1.24 | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.da.html">Dansk</a> <!-- Danish -->
255     | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.de.html">Deutsch</a> <!-- German -->
256     | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.html">English</a>
257 yanis 1.43 | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.el.html">Ελληνικά</a> <!--Greek-->
258 wkotwica 1.24 | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.es.html">Espa&#x00f1;ol</a> <!-- Spanish -->
259 civodul 1.42 | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.eo.html">Esperanto</a>
260 alex_muntada 1.33
261     <!-- Persian/Farsi -->
262     | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.fa.html">&#x0641;&#x0627;&#x0631;&#x0633;&#x06cc;</a>
263    
264 wkotwica 1.24 | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.fr.html">Fran&#x00e7;ais</a> <!-- French -->
265     | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.gl.html">Galego</a> <!-- Galician -->
266 the_duke 1.25 | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.he.html">&#x05e2;&#x05d1;&#x05e8;&#x05d9;&#x05ea;</a> <!-- Hebrew -->
267 wkotwica 1.24 | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.hr.html">Hrvatski</a> <!-- Croatian -->
268     | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.id.html">Bahasa Indonesia</a> <!-- Indonesian -->
269     | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.it.html">Italiano</a> <!-- Italian -->
270     | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.ja.html">&#x65e5;&#x672c;&#x8a9e;</a> <!-- Japanese -->
271     | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.ko.html">&#xd55c;&#xad6d;&#xc5b4;</a> <!-- Korean -->
272     | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.hu.html">Magyar</a> <!-- Hungarian -->
273     | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.nl.html">Nederlands</a> <!-- Dutch -->
274     | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.no.html">Norsk</a> <!-- Norwegian -->
275     | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.pl.html">Polski</a> <!-- Polish -->
276     | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.pt.html">Portugu&#x0ea;s</a> <!-- Portuguese -->
277 wkotwica 1.35 | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.ro.html">Rom&#x00e2;n&#x0103;</a> <!-- Romanian -->
278 wkotwica 1.24 | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.ru.html">&#1056;&#1091;&#1089;&#1089;&#1082;&#1080;&#1081;</a> <!-- Russian -->
279 canderson 1.27 | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.sl.html">Slovinsko</a> <!--- Slovenian -->
280 Ctpajgep 1.34 | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.sr.html">&#x0421;&#x0440;&#x043f;&#x0441;&#x043a;&#x0438;</a> <!-- Serbian -->
281 alex_muntada 1.38 | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.tl.html">Tagalog</a> <!-- Tagalog -->
282 wkotwica 1.24 | <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.tr.html">T&#x00fc;rk&#x00e7;e</a> <!-- Turkish -->
283 rms46 1.10 ]
284 wkotwica 1.24 </p>
285     </div>
286    
287     <div class="copyright">
288     <p>
289     Return to the <a href="/home.html">GNU Project home page</a>.
290     </p>
291    
292     <p>
293     Please send FSF &amp; GNU inquiries to
294     <a href="mailto:gnu@gnu.org"><em>gnu@gnu.org</em></a>.
295     There are also <a href="/home.html#ContactInfo">other ways to contact</a>
296     the FSF.
297     <br />
298     Please send broken links and other corrections (or suggestions) to
299     <a href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org"><em>webmasters@gnu.org</em></a>.
300     </p>
301    
302     <p>
303     Please see the
304     <a href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations
305     README</a> for information on coordinating and submitting
306     translations of this article.
307     </p>
308    
309     <p>
310 derekgnu 1.28 Copyright (C) 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Free
311 novalis 1.37 Software Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA
312     02110, USA
313 wkotwica 1.24 <br />
314 webcvs 1.1 Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is
315 wkotwica 1.24 permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is
316     preserved.
317     </p>
318    
319     <p>
320 webcvs 1.1 Updated:
321 paulv 1.3 <!-- timestamp start -->
322 johnsu01 1.45 $Date: 2006/05/20 09:35:17 $ $Author: hicham $
323 paulv 1.3 <!-- timestamp end -->
324 wkotwica 1.24 </p>
325     </div>
326 rms46 1.10
327 wkotwica 1.24 </body>
328     </html>

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