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revision 1.121 by rms, Mon May 27 03:49:32 2013 UTC revision 1.125 by rms, Thu Nov 21 18:14:23 2013 UTC
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1  <!--#include virtual="/server/header.html" -->  <!--#include virtual="/server/header.html" -->
2    <!-- Parent-Version: 1.75 -->
3  <title>What is free software? - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation (FSF)</title>  <title>What is free software?
4    - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title>
5    
6  <meta http-equiv="Keywords" content="GNU, FSF, Free Software Foundation, Linux, Emacs, GCC, Unix, Free Software, Operating System, GNU Kernel, HURD, GNU HURD, Hurd" />  <meta http-equiv="Keywords" content="GNU, FSF, Free Software Foundation, Linux, Emacs, GCC, Unix, Free Software, Operating System, GNU Kernel, HURD, GNU HURD, Hurd" />
7  <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." />  <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." />
 <link rel="alternate" title="What's New" href="http://www.gnu.org/rss/whatsnew.rss" type="application/rss+xml" />  
 <link rel="alternate" title="New Free Software" href="http://www.gnu.org/rss/quagga.rss" type="application/rss+xml" />  
8    
9  <!--#include virtual="/philosophy/po/free-sw.translist" -->  <!--#include virtual="/philosophy/po/free-sw.translist" -->
10  <!--#include virtual="/server/banner.html" -->  <!--#include virtual="/server/banner.html" -->
# Line 28  software. Line 27  software.
27  <p>  <p>
28  &ldquo;Free software&rdquo; means software that respects users'  &ldquo;Free software&rdquo; means software that respects users'
29  freedom and community.  Roughly, <b>the users have the freedom to run,  freedom and community.  Roughly, <b>the users have the freedom to run,
30  copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software</b>.  With these  copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software</b>.
 freedoms, the users (both individually and collectively) control the  
 program and what it does for them.  
 </p>  
   
 <p>  
 When users don't control the program, the program controls the users.  
 The developer controls the program, and through it controls the users.  
 This nonfree or &ldquo;proprietary&rdquo; program is therefore an  
 instrument of unjust power.  
31  </p>  </p>
32    
33  <p>  <p>
# Line 47  in &ldquo;free speech,&rdquo; not as in Line 37  in &ldquo;free speech,&rdquo; not as in
37  </p>  </p>
38    
39  <p>  <p>
40    With these freedoms, the users (both individually and collectively)
41    control the program and what it does for them.  When users don't
42    control the program, the program controls the users.  The developer
43    controls the program, and through it exercises power over the users.
44    Therefore, a &ldquo;nonfree&rdquo; or &ldquo;proprietary&rdquo; program
45    is <a href="/philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html"> an
46    instrument of unjust power</a>.
47    </p>
48    
49    <p>
50  A program is free software if the program's users have the  A program is free software if the program's users have the
51  four essential freedoms:  four essential freedoms:
52  </p>  </p>
# Line 68  four essential freedoms: Line 68  four essential freedoms:
68  </ul>  </ul>
69    
70  <p>  <p>
71  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
72  you should be free to redistribute copies, either with or without  freedoms.  Otherwise, it is nonfree.  While we can distinguish various
73  modifications, either gratis or charging a fee for distribution, to  nonfree distribution schemes in terms of how far they fall short of
74    being free, we consider them all equally unethical.</p>
75    
76    <p>The rest of this page clarifies certain points about what makes
77    specific freedoms adequate or not.</p>
78    
79    <p>Freedom to distribute (freedoms 2 and 3) means you are free to
80    redistribute copies, either with or without modifications, either
81    gratis or charging a fee for distribution, to
82  <a href="#exportcontrol">anyone anywhere</a>.  Being free to do these  <a href="#exportcontrol">anyone anywhere</a>.  Being free to do these
83  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
84  for permission to do so.  for permission to do so.
# Line 229  eliminate or override these restrictions Line 237  eliminate or override these restrictions
237  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
238  way, the restrictions will not affect activities and people outside the  way, the restrictions will not affect activities and people outside the
239  jurisdictions of these governments.  Thus, free software licenses  jurisdictions of these governments.  Thus, free software licenses
240  must not require obedience to any export regulations as a condition of  must not require obedience to any nontrivial export regulations as a
241  any of the essential freedoms.  condition of exercising any of the essential freedoms.
242    </p>
243    
244    <p>
245    Merely mentioning the existence of export regulations, without making
246    them a condition of the license itself, is acceptable since it does
247    not restrict users.  If an export regulation is actually trivial for
248    free software, then requiring it as a condition is not an actual
249    problem; however, it is a potential problem, since a later change in
250    export law could make the requirement nontrivial and thus render the
251    software nonfree.
252  </p>  </p>
253    
254  <p>  <p>
# Line 340  was changed.</p> Line 358  was changed.</p>
358    
359  <ul>  <ul>
360    
361    <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
362    1.122</a>: An export control requirement is a real problem if the
363    requirement is nontrivial; otherwise it is only a potential problem.</li>
364    
365  <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  <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
366  1.111</a>: Clarify 1.77 by saying that only  1.111</a>: Clarify 1.77 by saying that only
367  retroactive <em>restrictions</em> are unacceptable.  The copyright  retroactive <em>restrictions</em> are unacceptable.  The copyright
# Line 430  complete list of changes to the page thr Line 452  complete list of changes to the page thr
452  the <a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;view=log">cvsweb  the <a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;view=log">cvsweb
453  interface</a>.</p>  interface</a>.</p>
454    
 </div>  
455    
456    </div><!-- for id="content", starts in the include above -->
457  <!--#include virtual="/server/footer.html" -->  <!--#include virtual="/server/footer.html" -->
   
458  <div id="footer">  <div id="footer">
459    
460  <p>  <p>Please send general FSF &amp; GNU inquiries to
 Please send FSF &amp; GNU inquiries to  
461  <a href="mailto:gnu@gnu.org">&lt;gnu@gnu.org&gt;</a>.  <a href="mailto:gnu@gnu.org">&lt;gnu@gnu.org&gt;</a>.
462  There are also <a href="/contact/">other ways to contact</a>  There are also <a href="/contact/">other ways to contact</a>
463  the FSF.  the FSF.  Broken links and other corrections or suggestions can be sent
464  <br />  to <a href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org">&lt;webmasters@gnu.org&gt;</a>.</p>
465  Please send broken links and other corrections or suggestions to  
466  <a href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org">&lt;webmasters@gnu.org&gt;</a>.  <p><!-- TRANSLATORS: Ignore the original text in this paragraph,
467  </p>          replace it with the translation of these two:
468    
469            We work hard and do our best to provide accurate, good quality
470            translations.  However, we are not exempt from imperfection.
471            Please send your comments and general suggestions in this regard
472            to <a href="mailto:web-translators@gnu.org">
473            &lt;web-translators@gnu.org&gt;</a>.</p>
474    
475            <p>For information on coordinating and submitting translations of
476            our web pages, see <a
477            href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations
478            README</a>. -->
479    Please see the <a
480    href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations
481    README</a> for information on coordinating and submitting translations
482    of this article.</p>
483    
484    <!-- Regarding copyright, in general, standalone pages (as opposed to
485         files generated as part of manuals) on the GNU web server should
486         be under CC BY-ND 3.0 US.  Please do NOT change or remove this
487         without talking with the webmasters or licensing team first.
488         Please make sure the copyright date is consistent with the
489         document.  For web pages, it is ok to list just the latest year the
490         document was modified, or published.
491        
492         If you wish to list earlier years, that is ok too.
493         Either "2001, 2002, 2003" or "2001-2003" are ok for specifying
494         years, as long as each year in the range is in fact a copyrightable
495         year, i.e., a year in which the document was published (including
496         being publicly visible on the web or in a revision control system).
497        
498         There is more detail about copyright years in the GNU Maintainers
499         Information document, www.gnu.org/prep/maintain. -->
500    
501  <p>  <p>Copyright &copy; 1996-2002, 2004-2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013
502  Please see the  Free Software Foundation, Inc.</p>
 <a href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations  
 README</a> for information on coordinating and submitting  
 translations of this article.  
 </p>  
503    
 <p>  
 Copyright &copy; 1996-2002, 2004-2007, 2009, 2010, 2012 Free Software  
 Foundation, Inc.  
 </p>  
504  <p>This page is licensed under a <a rel="license"  <p>This page is licensed under a <a rel="license"
505  href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/us/">Creative  href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/us/">Creative
506  Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License</a>.  Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License</a>.</p>
 </p>  
507    
508  <!--#include virtual="/server/bottom-notes.html" -->  <!--#include virtual="/server/bottom-notes.html" -->
509    
# Line 470  $Date$ Line 513  $Date$
513  <!-- timestamp end -->  <!-- timestamp end -->
514  </p>  </p>
515  </div>  </div>
   
   
516  </div>  </div>
   
517  </body>  </body>
518  </html>  </html>

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