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<title>The Free Software Definition - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation (FSF)</title> |
<title>The Free Software Definition - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation (FSF)</title> |
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<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" /> |
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<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." /> |
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<link rel="alternate" title="What's New" href="http://www.gnu.org/rss/whatsnew.rss" type="application/rss+xml" /> |
<link rel="alternate" title="What's New" href="http://www.gnu.org/rss/whatsnew.rss" type="application/rss+xml" /> |
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<link rel="alternate" title="New Free Software" href="http://www.gnu.org/rss/quagga.rss" type="application/rss+xml" /> |
<link rel="alternate" title="New Free Software" href="http://www.gnu.org/rss/quagga.rss" type="application/rss+xml" /> |
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and avoid various practical problems. |
and avoid various practical problems. |
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</p> |
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<h2>Open Source?</h2> |
<h2 id="open-source">Beyond Software</h2> |
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<p> |
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<a href="free-doc.html">Software manuals must be free</a>, for the same |
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reasons that software must be free, and because the manuals are in effect |
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part of the software.</p> |
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</p> |
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<p> |
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The same arguments also make sense for other kinds of works of |
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practical use -- that is to say, works that embody useful knowledge, |
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such as educational works and reference |
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works. <a href="http://wikipedia.org"> Wikipedia </a> is the best known |
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example. |
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</p> |
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<p> |
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Any kind of work <em>can</em> be free, and the definition of free software |
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has been extended to a definition of <a href="http://freedomdefined.org/"> |
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free cultural works</a> applicable to any kind of works. |
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</p> |
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<h2 id="open-source">Open Source?</h2> |
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<p> |
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Another group has started using the term <q>open source</q> to mean |
Another group has started using the term <q>open source</q> to mean |
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something close (but not identical) to <q>free software.</q> We prefer |
something close (but not identical) to <q>free software.</q> We |
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the term <q>free software</q> because, once you have heard it refers to |
prefer the term <q>free software</q> because, once you have heard that |
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freedom rather than price, <a href="free-software-for-freedom.html">it |
it refers to freedom rather than price, it calls to mind freedom. |
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calls to mind freedom</a>. The word <q>open</q> never does that. |
The word <q>open</q> <a href="open-source-misses-the-point.html"> |
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never refers to freedom </a>. |
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</p> |
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<p><a href="/philosophy/philosophy.html">Other Texts to Read</a></p> |
<p><a href="/philosophy/philosophy.html">Other Texts to Read</a></p> |