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3 <title>What is free software?
4 - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title>
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16
17 <h2>What is free software?</h2>
18
19 <div class="article">
20 <h3>The Free Software Definition</h3>
21
22 <blockquote class="note" id="fsf-licensing"><p style="font-size: 80%">
23 Have a question about free software licensing not answered here?
24 See our other <a href="http://www.fsf.org/licensing">licensing resources</a>,
25 and if necessary contact the FSF Compliance Lab
26 at <a href="mailto:licensing@fsf.org">licensing@fsf.org</a>.</p>
27 </blockquote>
28
29 <div class="comment">
30 <p>
31 The free software definition presents the criteria for whether a
32 particular software program qualifies as free software. From time to
33 time we revise this definition, to clarify it or to resolve questions
34 about subtle issues. See the <a href="#History">History section</a>
35 below for a list of changes that affect the definition of free
36 software.
37 </p>
38
39 <p>
40 &ldquo;Open source&rdquo; is something different: it has a very
41 different philosophy based on different values. Its practical
42 definition is different too, but nearly all open source programs are
43 in fact free. We explain the
44 difference in <a href="/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html">
45 Why &ldquo;Open Source&rdquo; misses the point of Free Software</a>.
46 </p>
47 </div>
48
49 <p>
50 &ldquo;Free software&rdquo; means software that respects users'
51 freedom and community. Roughly, it means that <b>the users have the
52 freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the
53 software</b>. Thus, &ldquo;free software&rdquo; is a matter of
54 liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of
55 &ldquo;free&rdquo; as in &ldquo;free speech,&rdquo; not as in
56 &ldquo;free beer&rdquo;. We sometimes call it &ldquo;libre
57 software,&rdquo; borrowing the French or Spanish word for
58 &ldquo;free&rdquo; as in freedom, to show we do not mean the software
59 is gratis.
60 </p>
61
62 <p>
63 We campaign for these freedoms because everyone deserves them. With
64 these freedoms, the users (both individually and collectively) control
65 the program and what it does for them. When users don't control the
66 program, we call it a &ldquo;nonfree&rdquo; or
67 &ldquo;proprietary&rdquo; program. The nonfree program controls the
68 users, and the developer controls the program; this makes the
69 program <a href="/philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html">
70 an instrument of unjust power</a>.
71 </p>
72
73 <h4> The four essential freedoms</h4>
74
75 <p>
76 A program is free software if the program's users have the
77 four essential freedoms: <a href="#f1">[1]</a>
78 </p>
79
80 <ul class="important">
81 <li>The freedom to run the program as you wish,
82 for any purpose (freedom 0).</li>
83 <li>The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it
84 does your computing as you wish (freedom 1). Access to the source
85 code is a precondition for this.
86 </li>
87 <li>The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help others
88 (freedom 2).
89 </li>
90 <li>The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions
91 to others (freedom 3). By doing this you can give the whole
92 community a chance to benefit from your changes.
93 Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
94 </li>
95 </ul>
96
97 <p>
98 A program is free software if it gives users adequately all of these
99 freedoms. Otherwise, it is nonfree. While we can distinguish various
100 nonfree distribution schemes in terms of how far they fall short of
101 being free, we consider them all equally unethical.</p>
102
103 <p>In any given scenario, these freedoms must apply to whatever code
104 we plan to make use of, or lead others to make use of. For instance,
105 consider a program A which automatically launches a program B to
106 handle some cases. If we plan to distribute A as it stands, that
107 implies users will need B, so we need to judge whether both A and B
108 are free. However, if we plan to modify A so that it doesn't use B,
109 only A needs to be free; B is not pertinent to that plan.</p>
110
111 <p>
112 &ldquo;Free software&rdquo; does not mean &ldquo;noncommercial&rdquo;. A free
113 program must be available for commercial use, commercial development,
114 and commercial distribution. Commercial development of free software
115 is no longer unusual; such free commercial software is very important.
116 You may have paid money to get copies of free software, or you may have
117 obtained copies at no charge. But regardless of how you got your copies,
118 you always have the freedom to copy and change the software, even to
119 <a href="/philosophy/selling.html">sell copies</a>.
120 </p>
121
122 <p>The rest of this page clarifies certain points about what makes
123 specific freedoms adequate or not.</p>
124
125 <h4>The freedom to run the program as you wish</h4>
126
127 <p>
128 The freedom to run the program means the freedom for any kind of person
129 or organization to use it on any kind of computer system, for any kind of
130 overall job and purpose, without being required to communicate about it
131 with the developer or any other specific entity. In this freedom, it is
132 the <em>user's</em> purpose that matters, not the <em>developer's</em>
133 purpose; you as a user are free to run the program for your purposes,
134 and if you distribute it to someone else, she is then free to run it
135 for her purposes, but you are not entitled to impose your purposes on her.
136 </p>
137
138 <p>
139 The freedom to run the program as you wish means that you are not
140 forbidden or stopped from making it run. This has nothing to do with what
141 functionality the program has, whether it is technically capable of
142 functioning in any given environment, or whether it is useful for any
143 particular computing activity.</p>
144
145 <h4>The freedom to study the source code and make changes</h4>
146
147 <p>
148 In order for freedoms 1 and 3 (the freedom to make changes and the
149 freedom to publish the changed versions) to be meaningful, you must have
150 access to the source code of the program. Therefore, accessibility of
151 source code is a necessary condition for free software. Obfuscated
152 &ldquo;source code&rdquo; is not real source code and does not count
153 as source code.
154 </p>
155
156 <p>
157 Freedom 1 includes the freedom to use your changed version in place of
158 the original. If the program is delivered in a product designed to
159 run someone else's modified versions but refuse to run yours &mdash; a
160 practice known as &ldquo;tivoization&rdquo; or &ldquo;lockdown&rdquo;,
161 or (in its practitioners' perverse terminology) as &ldquo;secure
162 boot&rdquo; &mdash; freedom 1 becomes an empty pretense rather than a
163 practical reality. These binaries are not free
164 software even if the source code they are compiled from is free.
165 </p>
166
167 <p>
168 One important way to modify a program is by merging in available free
169 subroutines and modules. If the program's license says that you
170 cannot merge in a suitably licensed existing module &mdash; for instance, if it
171 requires you to be the copyright holder of any code you add &mdash; then the
172 license is too restrictive to qualify as free.
173 </p>
174
175 <p>
176 Whether a change constitutes an improvement is a subjective matter.
177 If your right to modify a program is limited, in substance, to changes that
178 someone else considers an improvement, that program is not free.
179 </p>
180
181 <h4>The freedom to redistribute if you wish: basic requirements</h4>
182
183 <p>Freedom to distribute (freedoms 2 and 3) means you are free to
184 redistribute copies, either with or without modifications, either
185 gratis or charging a fee for distribution, to
186 <a href="#exportcontrol">anyone anywhere</a>. Being free to do these
187 things means (among other things) that you do not have to ask or pay
188 for permission to do so.
189 </p>
190
191 <p>
192 You should also have the freedom to make modifications and use them
193 privately in your own work or play, without even mentioning that they
194 exist. If you do publish your changes, you should not be required to
195 notify anyone in particular, or in any particular way.
196 </p>
197
198 <p>
199 Freedom 3 includes the freedom to release your modified versions
200 as free software. A free license may also permit other ways of
201 releasing them; in other words, it does not have to be
202 a <a href="/copyleft/copyleft.html">copyleft</a> license. However, a
203 license that requires modified versions to be nonfree does not qualify
204 as a free license.
205 </p>
206
207 <p>
208 The freedom to redistribute copies must include binary or executable
209 forms of the program, as well as source code, for both modified and
210 unmodified versions. (Distributing programs in runnable form is necessary
211 for conveniently installable free operating systems.) It is OK if there
212 is no way to produce a binary or executable form for a certain program
213 (since some languages don't support that feature), but you must have the
214 freedom to redistribute such forms should you find or develop a way to
215 make them.
216 </p>
217
218 <h4>Copyleft</h4>
219
220 <p>
221 Certain kinds of rules about the manner of distributing free
222 software are acceptable, when they don't conflict with the central
223 freedoms. For example, <a href="/copyleft/copyleft.html">copyleft</a>
224 (very simply stated) is the rule that when redistributing the program,
225 you cannot add restrictions to deny other people the central freedoms.
226 This rule does not conflict with the central freedoms; rather it
227 protects them.
228 </p>
229
230 <p>
231 In the GNU project, we use copyleft to protect the four freedoms
232 legally for everyone. We believe there are important reasons why
233 <a href="/philosophy/pragmatic.html">it is better to use
234 copyleft</a>. However,
235 <a href="/philosophy/categories.html#Non-CopyleftedFreeSoftware">
236 noncopylefted free software</a> is ethical
237 too. See <a href="/philosophy/categories.html">Categories of Free
238 Software</a> for a description of how &ldquo;free software,&rdquo;
239 &ldquo;copylefted software&rdquo; and other categories of software
240 relate to each other.
241 </p>
242
243 <h4>Rules about packaging and distribution details</h4>
244
245 <p>
246 Rules about how to package a modified version are acceptable,
247 if they don't substantively limit your freedom to release modified
248 versions, or your freedom to make and use modified versions privately.
249 Thus, it is acceptable for the license to require that you change the
250 name of the modified version, remove a logo, or identify your
251 modifications as yours. As long as these requirements are not so
252 burdensome that they effectively hamper you from releasing your
253 changes, they are acceptable; you're already making other changes to
254 the program, so you won't have trouble making a few more.
255 </p>
256
257 <p>
258 Rules that &ldquo;if you make your version available in this way, you
259 must make it available in that way also&rdquo; can be acceptable too,
260 on the same condition. An example of such an acceptable rule is one
261 saying that if you have distributed a
262 modified version and a previous developer asks for a copy of it, you
263 must send one. (Note that such a rule still leaves you the choice of
264 whether to distribute your version at all.) Rules that require release
265 of source code to the users for versions that you put into public use
266 are also acceptable.
267 </p>
268
269 <p>
270 A special issue arises when a license requires changing the name by
271 which the program will be invoked from other programs. That
272 effectively hampers you from releasing your changed version so that it
273 can replace the original when invoked by those other programs. This
274 sort of requirement is acceptable only if there's a suitable aliasing
275 facility that allows you to specify the original program's name as an
276 alias for the modified version.</p>
277
278 <h4>Export regulations</h4>
279
280 <p>
281 Sometimes government <a id="exportcontrol">export control regulations</a>
282 and trade sanctions can constrain your freedom to distribute copies of
283 programs internationally. Software developers do not have the power to
284 eliminate or override these restrictions, but what they can and must do
285 is refuse to impose them as conditions of use of the program. In this
286 way, the restrictions will not affect activities and people outside the
287 jurisdictions of these governments. Thus, free software licenses
288 must not require obedience to any nontrivial export regulations as a
289 condition of exercising any of the essential freedoms.
290 </p>
291
292 <p>
293 Merely mentioning the existence of export regulations, without making
294 them a condition of the license itself, is acceptable since it does
295 not restrict users. If an export regulation is actually trivial for
296 free software, then requiring it as a condition is not an actual
297 problem; however, it is a potential problem, since a later change in
298 export law could make the requirement nontrivial and thus render the
299 software nonfree.
300 </p>
301
302 <h4>Legal considerations</h4>
303
304 <p>
305 In order for these freedoms to be real, they must be permanent and
306 irrevocable as long as you do nothing wrong; if the developer of the
307 software has the power to revoke the license, or retroactively add
308 restrictions to its terms, without your doing anything wrong to give
309 cause, the software is not free.
310 </p>
311
312 <p>
313 A free license may not require compliance with the license of a
314 nonfree program. Thus, for instance, if a license requires you to
315 comply with the licenses of &ldquo;all the programs you use&rdquo;, in
316 the case of a user that runs nonfree programs this would require
317 compliance with the licenses of those nonfree programs; that makes the
318 license nonfree.
319 </p>
320
321 <p>
322 It is acceptable for a free license to specify which jurisdiction's
323 law applies, or where litigation must be done, or both.
324 </p>
325
326 <h4>Contract-based licenses</h4>
327
328 <p>
329 Most free software licenses are based on copyright, and there are limits
330 on what kinds of requirements can be imposed through copyright. If a
331 copyright-based license respects freedom in the ways described above, it
332 is unlikely to have some other sort of problem that we never anticipated
333 (though this does happen occasionally). However, some free software
334 licenses are based on contracts, and contracts can impose a much larger
335 range of possible restrictions. That means there are many possible ways
336 such a license could be unacceptably restrictive and nonfree.
337 </p>
338
339 <p>
340 We can't possibly list all the ways that might happen. If a
341 contract-based license restricts the user in an unusual way that
342 copyright-based licenses cannot, and which isn't mentioned here as
343 legitimate, we will have to think about it, and we will probably conclude
344 it is nonfree.
345 </p>
346
347 <h4>Use the right words when talking about free software</h4>
348
349 <p>
350 When talking about free software, it is best to avoid using terms
351 like &ldquo;give away&rdquo; or &ldquo;for free,&rdquo; because those terms imply that
352 the issue is about price, not freedom. Some common terms such
353 as &ldquo;piracy&rdquo; embody opinions we hope you won't endorse. See
354 <a href="/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html">Confusing Words and Phrases that
355 are Worth Avoiding</a> for a discussion of these terms. We also have
356 a list of proper <a href="/philosophy/fs-translations.html">translations of
357 &ldquo;free software&rdquo;</a> into various languages.
358 </p>
359
360 <h4>How we interpret these criteria</h4>
361
362 <p>
363 Finally, note that criteria such as those stated in this free software
364 definition require careful thought for their interpretation. To decide
365 whether a specific software license qualifies as a free software license,
366 we judge it based on these criteria to determine whether it fits their
367 spirit as well as the precise words. If a license includes unconscionable
368 restrictions, we reject it, even if we did not anticipate the issue
369 in these criteria. Sometimes a license requirement raises an issue
370 that calls for extensive thought, including discussions with a lawyer,
371 before we can decide if the requirement is acceptable. When we reach
372 a conclusion about a new issue, we often update these criteria to make
373 it easier to see why certain licenses do or don't qualify.
374 </p>
375
376 <h4>Get help with free licenses</h4>
377
378 <p>
379 If you are interested in whether a specific license qualifies as a free
380 software license, see our <a href="/licenses/license-list.html">list
381 of licenses</a>. If the license you are concerned with is not
382 listed there, you can ask us about it by sending us email at
383 <a href="mailto:licensing@gnu.org">&lt;licensing@gnu.org&gt;</a>.
384 </p>
385
386 <p>
387 If you are contemplating writing a new license, please contact the
388 Free Software Foundation first by writing to that address. The
389 proliferation of different free software licenses means increased work
390 for users in understanding the licenses; we may be able to help you
391 find an existing free software license that meets your needs.
392 </p>
393
394 <p>
395 If that isn't possible, if you really need a new license, with our
396 help you can ensure that the license really is a free software license
397 and avoid various practical problems.
398 </p>
399
400 <h3 id="beyond-software">Beyond Software</h3>
401
402 <p>
403 <a href="/philosophy/free-doc.html">Software manuals must be free</a>,
404 for the same reasons that software must be free, and because the
405 manuals are in effect part of the software.
406 </p>
407
408 <p>
409 The same arguments also make sense for other kinds of works of
410 practical use &mdash; that is to say, works that embody useful knowledge,
411 such as educational works and reference
412 works. <a href="http://wikipedia.org">Wikipedia</a> is the best-known
413 example.
414 </p>
415
416 <p>
417 Any kind of work <em>can</em> be free, and the definition of free software
418 has been extended to a definition of <a href="http://freedomdefined.org/">
419 free cultural works</a> applicable to any kind of works.
420 </p>
421
422 <h3 id="open-source">Open Source?</h3>
423
424 <p>
425 Another group uses the term &ldquo;open source&rdquo; to mean
426 something close (but not identical) to &ldquo;free software&rdquo;. We
427 prefer the term &ldquo;free software&rdquo; because, once you have heard that
428 it refers to freedom rather than price, it calls to mind freedom. The
429 word &ldquo;open&rdquo; <a href="/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html">
430 never refers to freedom</a>.
431 </p>
432 </div>
433
434 <h3 id="History">History</h3>
435
436 <p>From time to time we revise this Free Software Definition. Here is
437 the list of substantive changes, along with links to show exactly what
438 was changed.</p>
439
440 <ul>
441
442 <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
443 1.153</a>: Clarify that freedom to run the program means nothing stops
444 you from making it run.</li>
445
446 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.140&amp;r2=1.141">Version
447 1.141</a>: Clarify which code needs to be free.</li>
448
449 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.134&amp;r2=1.135">Version
450 1.135</a>: Say each time that freedom 0 is the freedom to run the program
451 as you wish.</li>
452
453 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.133&amp;r2=1.134">Version
454 1.134</a>: Freedom 0 is not a matter of the program's functionality.</li>
455
456 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.130&amp;r2=1.131">Version
457 1.131</a>: A free license may not require compliance with a nonfree license
458 of another program.</li>
459
460 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.128&amp;r2=1.129">Version
461 1.129</a>: State explicitly that choice of law and choice of forum
462 specifications are allowed. (This was always our policy.)</li>
463
464 <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
465 1.122</a>: An export control requirement is a real problem if the
466 requirement is nontrivial; otherwise it is only a potential problem.</li>
467
468 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.117&amp;r2=1.118">Version
469 1.118</a>: Clarification: the issue is limits on your right to modify,
470 not on what modifications you have made. And modifications are not limited
471 to &ldquo;improvements&rdquo;</li>
472
473 <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
474 1.111</a>: Clarify 1.77 by saying that only
475 retroactive <em>restrictions</em> are unacceptable. The copyright
476 holders can always grant additional <em>permission</em> for use of the
477 work by releasing the work in another way in parallel.</li>
478
479 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.104&amp;r2=1.105">Version
480 1.105</a>: Reflect, in the brief statement of freedom 1, the point
481 (already stated in version 1.80) that it includes really using your modified
482 version for your computing.</li>
483
484 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.91&amp;r2=1.92">Version
485 1.92</a>: Clarify that obfuscated code does not qualify as source code.</li>
486
487 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.89&amp;r2=1.90">Version
488 1.90</a>: Clarify that freedom 3 means the right to distribute copies
489 of your own modified or improved version, not a right to participate
490 in someone else's development project.</li>
491
492 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.88&amp;r2=1.89">Version
493 1.89</a>: Freedom 3 includes the right to release modified versions as
494 free software.</li>
495
496 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.79&amp;r2=1.80">Version
497 1.80</a>: Freedom 1 must be practical, not just theoretical;
498 i.e., no tivoization.</li>
499
500 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.76&amp;r2=1.77">Version
501 1.77</a>: Clarify that all retroactive changes to the license are
502 unacceptable, even if it's not described as a complete
503 replacement.</li>
504
505 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.73&amp;r2=1.74">Version
506 1.74</a>: Four clarifications of points not explicit enough, or stated
507 in some places but not reflected everywhere:
508 <ul>
509 <li>"Improvements" does not mean the license can
510 substantively limit what kinds of modified versions you can release.
511 Freedom 3 includes distributing modified versions, not just changes.</li>
512 <li>The right to merge in existing modules
513 refers to those that are suitably licensed.</li>
514 <li>Explicitly state the conclusion of the point about export controls.</li>
515 <li>Imposing a license change constitutes revoking the old license.</li>
516 </ul>
517 </li>
518
519 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.56&amp;r2=1.57">Version
520 1.57</a>: Add &quot;Beyond Software&quot; section.</li>
521
522 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.45&amp;r2=1.46">Version
523 1.46</a>: Clarify whose purpose is significant in the freedom to run
524 the program for any purpose.</li>
525
526 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.40&amp;r2=1.41">Version
527 1.41</a>: Clarify wording about contract-based licenses.</li>
528
529 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.39&amp;r2=1.40">Version
530 1.40</a>: Explain that a free license must allow to you use other
531 available free software to create your modifications.</li>
532
533 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.38&amp;r2=1.39">Version
534 1.39</a>: Note that it is acceptable for a license to require you to
535 provide source for versions of the software you put into public
536 use.</li>
537
538 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.30&amp;r2=1.31">Version
539 1.31</a>: Note that it is acceptable for a license to require you to
540 identify yourself as the author of modifications. Other minor
541 clarifications throughout the text.</li>
542
543 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.22&amp;r2=1.23">Version
544 1.23</a>: Address potential problems related to contract-based
545 licenses.</li>
546
547 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.15&amp;r2=1.16">Version
548 1.16</a>: Explain why distribution of binaries is important.</li>
549
550 <li><a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;r1=1.10&amp;r2=1.11">Version
551 1.11</a>: Note that a free license may require you to send a copy of
552 versions you distribute to previous developers on request.</li>
553
554 </ul>
555
556 <p>There are gaps in the version numbers shown above because there are
557 other changes in this page that do not affect the definition or its
558 interpretations. For instance, the list does not include changes in
559 asides, formatting, spelling, punctuation, or other parts of the page.
560 You can review the complete list of changes to the page through
561 the <a href="http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewvc/www/philosophy/free-sw.html?root=www&amp;view=log">cvsweb
562 interface</a>.</p>
563
564 <h3 style="font-size:1em">Footnote</h3>
565 <ol>
566 <li id="f1">The reason they are numbered 0, 1, 2 and 3 is historical. Around
567 1990 there were three freedoms, numbered 1, 2 and 3. Then we realized that
568 the freedom to run the program needed to be mentioned explicitly.
569 It was clearly more basic than the other three, so it properly should
570 precede them. Rather than renumber the others, we made it freedom&nbsp;0.</li>
571 </ol>
572
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577
578 <p>Please send general FSF &amp; GNU inquiries to
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580 There are also <a href="/contact/">other ways to contact</a>
581 the FSF. Broken links and other corrections or suggestions can be sent
582 to <a href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org">&lt;webmasters@gnu.org&gt;</a>.</p>
583
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599 README</a> for information on coordinating and submitting translations
600 of this article.</p>
601 </div>
602
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616
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619
620 <p>Copyright &copy; 1996, 2002, 2004-2007, 2009-2018
621 Free Software Foundation, Inc.</p>
622
623 <p>This page is licensed under a <a rel="license"
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625 Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.</p>
626
627 <!--#include virtual="/server/bottom-notes.html" -->
628
629 <p class="unprintable">Updated:
630 <!-- timestamp start -->
631 $Date: 2018/06/03 10:02:51 $
632 <!-- timestamp end -->
633 </p>
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