--- www/philosophy/free-sw.html	2017/12/31 07:26:02	1.155
+++ www/philosophy/free-sw.html	2019/07/29 21:25:25	1.165
@@ -1,8 +1,13 @@
 <!--#include virtual="/server/header.html" -->
-<!-- Parent-Version: 1.84 -->
+<!-- Parent-Version: 1.86 -->
 <title>What is free software?
 - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title>
-
+<style type="text/css" media="print,screen"><!--
+.note { margin-left: 6%; margin-right: 6%; }
+@media (min-width: 48em) {
+   .note { margin-top: .8em; }
+}
+--></style>
 <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="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." />
 
@@ -11,6 +16,9 @@
 
 <h2>What is free software?</h2>
 
+<div class="article">
+<h3>The Free Software Definition</h3>
+
 <blockquote class="note" id="fsf-licensing"><p style="font-size: 80%">
 Have a question about free software licensing not answered here?
 See our other <a href="http://www.fsf.org/licensing">licensing resources</a>,
@@ -18,9 +26,7 @@
 at <a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">licensing@fsf.org</a>.</p>
 </blockquote>
 
-<h3>The Free Software Definition</h3>
-
-<blockquote>
+<div class="comment">
 <p>
 The free software definition presents the criteria for whether a
 particular software program qualifies as free software.  From time to
@@ -29,7 +35,16 @@
 below for a list of changes that affect the definition of free
 software.
 </p>
-</blockquote>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Open source&rdquo; is something different: it has a very
+different philosophy based on different values.  Its practical
+definition is different too, but nearly all open source programs are
+in fact free.  We explain the
+difference in <a href="/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html">
+Why &ldquo;Open Source&rdquo; misses the point of Free Software</a>.
+</p>
+</div>
 
 <p>
 &ldquo;Free software&rdquo; means software that respects users'
@@ -59,17 +74,17 @@
 
 <p>
 A program is free software if the program's users have the
-four essential freedoms:
+four essential freedoms: <a href="#f1">[1]</a>
 </p>
 
-<ul>
+<ul class="important">
   <li>The freedom to run the program as you wish,
       for any purpose (freedom 0).</li>
   <li>The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it
       does your computing as you wish (freedom 1). Access to the source
       code is a precondition for this.
   </li>
-  <li>The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor
+  <li>The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help others
       (freedom 2).
   </li>
   <li>The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions
@@ -104,8 +119,20 @@
 <a href="/philosophy/selling.html">sell copies</a>.
 </p>
 
-<p>The rest of this page clarifies certain points about what makes
-specific freedoms adequate or not.</p>
+<p>
+A free program must offer the four freedoms to any user that obtains a
+copy of the software, provided the user has complied thus far with the
+conditions of the free license covering the software.  Putting some of
+the freedoms off limits to some users, or requiring that users pay, in
+money or in kind, to exercise them, is tantamount to not granting the
+freedoms in question, and thus renders the program nonfree.
+</p>
+
+<h3>Clarifying the line at various points</h3>
+
+<p>In the rest of this article we expain more precisely how far the
+various freedoms need to extend, on various issues, in order for a
+program to be free.</p>
 
 <h4>The freedom to run the program as you wish</h4>
 
@@ -131,7 +158,7 @@
 
 <p>
 In order for freedoms 1 and 3 (the freedom to make changes and the
-freedom to publish the changed versions) to be meaningful, you must have
+freedom to publish the changed versions) to be meaningful, you need to have
 access to the source code of the program.  Therefore, accessibility of
 source code is a necessary condition for free software.  Obfuscated
 &ldquo;source code&rdquo; is not real source code and does not count
@@ -414,6 +441,7 @@
 word &ldquo;open&rdquo; <a href="/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html">
 never refers to freedom</a>.
 </p>
+</div>
 
 <h3 id="History">History</h3>
 
@@ -423,6 +451,11 @@
 
 <ul>
 
+<li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.162&amp;r2=1.163">Version
+1.163</a>: Clarify that the four freedoms apply to any and all users,
+and that requiring users to pay to exercise some of these freedoms is
+a way of denying them.</li>
+
 <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
 1.153</a>: Clarify that freedom to run the program means nothing stops
 you from making it run.</li>
@@ -545,6 +578,14 @@
 the <a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;view=log">cvsweb
 interface</a>.</p>
 
+<h3 style="font-size:1em">Footnote</h3>
+<ol>
+<li id="f1">The reason they are numbered 0, 1, 2 and 3 is historical. Around
+1990 there were three freedoms, numbered 1, 2 and 3. Then we realized that
+the freedom to run the program needed to be mentioned explicitly.
+It was clearly more basic than the other three, so it properly should
+precede them. Rather than renumber the others, we made it freedom&nbsp;0.</li>
+</ol>
 
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 <!--#include virtual="/server/footer.html" -->
@@ -593,7 +634,7 @@
      There is more detail about copyright years in the GNU Maintainers
      Information document, www.gnu.org/prep/maintain. -->
 
-<p>Copyright &copy; 1996, 2002, 2004-2007, 2009-2017
+<p>Copyright &copy; 1996, 2002, 2004-2007, 2009-2019
 Free Software Foundation, Inc.</p>
 
 <p>This page is licensed under a <a rel="license"
@@ -604,10 +645,10 @@
 
 <p class="unprintable">Updated:
 <!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2017/12/31 07:26:02 $
+$Date: 2019/07/29 21:25:25 $
 <!-- timestamp end -->
 </p>
 </div>
-</div>
+</div><!-- for class="inner", starts in the banner include -->
 </body>
 </html>