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<title>What is free software? - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation (FSF)</title> |
<title>What is free software? |
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- GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title> |
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<h2>What is free software?</h2> |
<h2>What is free software?</h2> |
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<h3>The Free Software Definition</h3> |
<h3>The Free Software Definition</h3> |
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<p> |
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“Free software” means software that respects users' |
“Free software” means software that respects users' |
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freedom and community. Roughly, <b>the users have the freedom to run, |
freedom and community. Roughly, it means that <b>the users have the |
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copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software</b>. With these |
freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the |
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freedoms, the users (both individually and collectively) control the |
software</b>. Thus, “free software” is a matter of |
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program and what it does for them. |
liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of |
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“free” as in “free speech,” not as in |
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“free beer”. We sometimes call it “libre |
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software,” borrowing the French or Spanish word for |
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“free” as in freedom, to show we do not mean the software |
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is gratis. |
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</p> |
</p> |
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<p> |
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When users don't control the program, the program controls the users. |
We campaign for these freedoms because everyone deserves them. With |
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The developer controls the program, and through it controls the users. |
these freedoms, the users (both individually and collectively) control |
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This nonfree or “proprietary” program is therefore an |
the program and what it does for them. When users don't control the |
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instrument of unjust power. |
program, we call it a “nonfree” or |
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</p> |
“proprietary” program. The nonfree program controls the |
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users, and the developer controls the program; this makes the |
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<p> |
program <a href="/philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html"> |
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Thus, “free software” is a matter of liberty, not price. |
an instrument of unjust power</a>. |
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To understand the concept, you should think of “free” as |
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in “free speech,” not as in “free beer”. |
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</p> |
</p> |
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<p> |
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</p> |
</p> |
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<ul> |
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<li>The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0).</li> |
<li>The freedom to run the program as you wish, |
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for any purpose (freedom 0).</li> |
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<li>The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it |
<li>The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it |
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does your computing as you wish (freedom 1). Access to the source |
does your computing as you wish (freedom 1). Access to the source |
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code is a precondition for this. |
code is a precondition for this. |
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</ul> |
</ul> |
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<p> |
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A program is free software if users have all of these freedoms. Thus, |
A program is free software if it gives users adequately all of these |
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you should be free to redistribute copies, either with or without |
freedoms. Otherwise, it is nonfree. While we can distinguish various |
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modifications, either gratis or charging a fee for distribution, to |
nonfree distribution schemes in terms of how far they fall short of |
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being free, we consider them all equally unethical.</p> |
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<p>In any given scenario, these freedoms must apply to whatever code |
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we plan to make use of, or lead others to make use of. For instance, |
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consider a program A which automatically launches a program B to |
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handle some cases. If we plan to distribute A as it stands, that |
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implies users will need B, so we need to judge whether both A and B |
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are free. However, if we plan to modify A so that it doesn't use B, |
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only A needs to be free; B is not pertinent to that plan.</p> |
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<p>The rest of this page clarifies certain points about what makes |
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specific freedoms adequate or not.</p> |
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<p>Freedom to distribute (freedoms 2 and 3) means you are free to |
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redistribute copies, either with or without modifications, either |
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gratis or charging a fee for distribution, to |
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<a href="#exportcontrol">anyone anywhere</a>. Being free to do these |
<a href="#exportcontrol">anyone anywhere</a>. Being free to do these |
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things means (among other things) that you do not have to ask or pay |
things means (among other things) that you do not have to ask or pay |
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for permission to do so. |
for permission to do so. |
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</p> |
</p> |
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<p> |
<p> |
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The freedom to run the program as you wish means that you are not |
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forbidden or stopped from doing so. It has nothing to do with what |
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functionality the program has, or whether it is useful for what you |
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want to do.</p> |
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<p> |
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The freedom to redistribute copies must include binary or executable |
The freedom to redistribute copies must include binary or executable |
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forms of the program, as well as source code, for both modified and |
forms of the program, as well as source code, for both modified and |
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unmodified versions. (Distributing programs in runnable form is necessary |
unmodified versions. (Distributing programs in runnable form is necessary |
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run someone else's modified versions but refuse to run yours — a |
run someone else's modified versions but refuse to run yours — a |
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practice known as “tivoization” or “lockdown”, |
practice known as “tivoization” or “lockdown”, |
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or (in its practitioners' perverse terminology) as “secure |
or (in its practitioners' perverse terminology) as “secure |
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boot” — freedom 1 becomes a theoretical fiction rather |
boot” — freedom 1 becomes an empty pretense rather than a |
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than a practical freedom. This is not sufficient. In other words, |
practical reality. These binaries are not free |
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these binaries are not free software even if the source code they are |
software even if the source code they are compiled from is free. |
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compiled from is free. |
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</p> |
</p> |
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<p> |
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<p> |
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However, certain kinds of rules about the manner of distributing free |
However, certain kinds of rules about the manner of distributing free |
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software are acceptable, when they don't conflict with the central |
software are acceptable, when they don't conflict with the central |
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freedoms. For example, copyleft (very simply stated) is the rule that |
freedoms. For example, <a href="/copyleft/copyleft.html">copyleft</a> |
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when redistributing the program, you cannot add restrictions to deny |
(very simply stated) is the rule that when redistributing the program, |
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other people the central freedoms. This rule does not conflict with |
you cannot add restrictions to deny other people the central freedoms. |
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the central freedoms; rather it protects them. |
This rule does not conflict with the central freedoms; rather it |
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protects them. |
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</p> |
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<p> |
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In the GNU project, we use copyleft to protect the four freedoms |
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legally for everyone. We believe there are important reasons why |
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<a href="/philosophy/pragmatic.html">it is better to use |
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copyleft</a>. However, |
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<a href="/philosophy/categories.html#Non-CopyleftedFreeSoftware"> |
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noncopylefted free software</a> is ethical |
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too. See <a href="/philosophy/categories.html">Categories of Free |
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Software</a> for a description of how “free software,” |
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“copylefted software” and other categories of software |
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relate to each other. |
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</p> |
</p> |
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<p> |
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alias for the modified version.</p> |
alias for the modified version.</p> |
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<p> |
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In the GNU project, we use |
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<a href="/copyleft/copyleft.html">copyleft</a> |
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to protect these freedoms legally for everyone. But |
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<a href="/philosophy/categories.html#Non-CopyleftedFreeSoftware">noncopylefted |
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free software</a> also exists. We believe there are important reasons why |
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<a href="/philosophy/pragmatic.html">it is better to use copyleft</a>, |
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but if your program is noncopylefted free software, it is still basically |
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ethical. (See <a href="/philosophy/categories.html">Categories of Free Software</a> for a description of how “free software,” “copylefted software” and other categories of software relate to each other.) |
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</p> |
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Sometimes government <a id="exportcontrol">export control regulations</a> |
Sometimes government <a id="exportcontrol">export control regulations</a> |
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and trade sanctions can constrain your freedom to distribute copies of |
and trade sanctions can constrain your freedom to distribute copies of |
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programs internationally. Software developers do not have the power to |
programs internationally. Software developers do not have the power to |
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is refuse to impose them as conditions of use of the program. In this |
is refuse to impose them as conditions of use of the program. In this |
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way, the restrictions will not affect activities and people outside the |
way, the restrictions will not affect activities and people outside the |
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jurisdictions of these governments. Thus, free software licenses |
jurisdictions of these governments. Thus, free software licenses |
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must not require obedience to any export regulations as a condition of |
must not require obedience to any nontrivial export regulations as a |
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any of the essential freedoms. |
condition of exercising any of the essential freedoms. |
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</p> |
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Merely mentioning the existence of export regulations, without making |
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them a condition of the license itself, is acceptable since it does |
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not restrict users. If an export regulation is actually trivial for |
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free software, then requiring it as a condition is not an actual |
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problem; however, it is a potential problem, since a later change in |
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export law could make the requirement nontrivial and thus render the |
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software nonfree. |
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</p> |
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<p> |
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A free license may not require compliance with the license of a |
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nonfree program. Thus, for instance, if a license requires you to |
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comply with the licenses of “all the programs you use”, in |
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the case of a user that runs nonfree programs this would require |
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compliance with the licenses of those nonfree programs; that makes the |
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license nonfree. |
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</p> |
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It is acceptable for a free license to specify which jurisdiction's |
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law applies, or where litigation must be done, or both. |
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</p> |
</p> |
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<p> |
<p> |
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<h3 id="open-source">Open Source?</h3> |
<h3 id="open-source">Open Source?</h3> |
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<p> |
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Another group has started using the term “open source” to mean |
Another group uses the term “open source” to mean |
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something close (but not identical) to “free software”. We |
something close (but not identical) to “free software”. We |
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prefer the term “free software” because, once you have heard that |
prefer the term “free software” because, once you have heard that |
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it refers to freedom rather than price, it calls to mind freedom. The |
it refers to freedom rather than price, it calls to mind freedom. The |
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<ul> |
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<li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&r1=1.140&r2=1.141">Version |
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1.141</a>: Clarify which code needs to be free.</li> |
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<li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&r1=1.134&r2=1.135">Version |
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1.135</a>: Say each time that freedom 0 is the freedom to run the program |
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as you wish.</li> |
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<li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&r1=1.133&r2=1.134">Version |
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1.134</a>: Freedom 0 is not a matter of the program's functionality.</li> |
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<li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&r1=1.130&r2=1.131">Version |
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1.131</a>: A free license may not require compliance with a nonfree license |
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of another program.</li> |
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<li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&r1=1.128&r2=1.129">Version |
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1.129</a>: State explicitly that choice of law and choice of forum |
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specifications are allowed. (This was always our policy.)</li> |
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<li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&r1=1.121&r2=1.122">Version |
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1.122</a>: An export control requirement is a real problem if the |
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requirement is nontrivial; otherwise it is only a potential problem.</li> |
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<li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&r1=1.117&r2=1.118">Version |
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1.118</a>: Clarification: the issue is limits on your right to modify, |
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not on what modifications you have made. And modifications are not limited |
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to “improvements”</li> |
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<li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&r1=1.110&r2=1.111">Version |
<li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&r1=1.110&r2=1.111">Version |
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1.111</a>: Clarify 1.77 by saying that only |
1.111</a>: Clarify 1.77 by saying that only |
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retroactive <em>restrictions</em> are unacceptable. The copyright |
retroactive <em>restrictions</em> are unacceptable. The copyright |
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<li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&r1=1.10&r2=1.11">Version |
<li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&r1=1.10&r2=1.11">Version |
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1.11</a>: Note that a free license may require you to send a copy of |
1.11</a>: Note that a free license may require you to send a copy of |
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versions you distribute to the author.</li> |
versions you distribute to previous developers on request.</li> |
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</ul> |
</ul> |
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<p>There are gaps in the version numbers shown above because there are |
<p>There are gaps in the version numbers shown above because there are |
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other changes in this page that do not affect the definition as such. |
other changes in this page that do not affect the definition or its |
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These changes are in other parts of the page. You can review the |
interpretations. For instance, the list does not include changes in |
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complete list of changes to the page through |
asides, formatting, spelling, punctuation, or other parts of the page. |
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You can review the complete list of changes to the page through |
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the <a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&view=log">cvsweb |
the <a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&view=log">cvsweb |
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interface</a>.</p> |
interface</a>.</p> |
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There are also <a href="/contact/">other ways to contact</a> |
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