| 1 |
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?> |
| 2 |
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" |
| 3 |
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> |
| 4 |
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en"> |
| 5 |
|
| 6 |
<head> |
| 7 |
<title>The Free Software Definition - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation (FSF)</title> |
| 8 |
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content='text/html; charset=utf-8' /> |
| 9 |
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/gnu.css" /> |
| 10 |
<link rev="made" href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org" /> |
| 11 |
</head> |
| 12 |
|
| 13 |
<!-- This document is in XML, and xhtml 1.0 --> |
| 14 |
<!-- Please make sure to properly nest your tags --> |
| 15 |
<!-- and ensure that your final document validates --> |
| 16 |
<!-- consistent with W3C xhtml 1.0 and CSS standards --> |
| 17 |
<!-- See validator.w3.org --> |
| 18 |
|
| 19 |
<body> |
| 20 |
|
| 21 |
<div id="header"> |
| 22 |
<a href="http://www.defectivebydesign.org/join/gnu"><img src="/graphics/dbd.png" alt="[Join the FSF Campaign to Eliminate DRM]" /></a> |
| 23 |
</div> |
| 24 |
|
| 25 |
<hr /> |
| 26 |
|
| 27 |
<p><a href="#translations">Translations</a> of this page</p> |
| 28 |
|
| 29 |
<h3>The Free Software Definition</h3> |
| 30 |
<p> |
| 31 |
<a href="/graphics/philosophicalgnu.html"><img src="/graphics/philosophical-gnu-sm.jpg" alt=" [image of a Philosophical Gnu] " width="160" height="200" /></a> |
| 32 |
</p> |
| 33 |
|
| 34 |
<p> |
| 35 |
We maintain this free software definition to show clearly what must be |
| 36 |
true about a particular software program for it to be considered |
| 37 |
free software.</p> |
| 38 |
<p> |
| 39 |
``Free software'' is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the |
| 40 |
concept, you should think of ``free'' as in ``free speech,'' not as in |
| 41 |
``free beer.''</p> |
| 42 |
<p> |
| 43 |
Free software is a matter of the users' freedom to run, copy, |
| 44 |
distribute, study, change and improve the software. More precisely, |
| 45 |
it refers to four kinds of freedom, for the users of the software:</p> |
| 46 |
|
| 47 |
<ul> |
| 48 |
<li>The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0).</li> |
| 49 |
<li>The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs |
| 50 |
(freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.</li> |
| 51 |
<li>The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor |
| 52 |
(freedom 2).</li> |
| 53 |
<li>The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements |
| 54 |
to the public, so that the whole community benefits |
| 55 |
(freedom 3). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.</li> |
| 56 |
</ul> |
| 57 |
|
| 58 |
<p> |
| 59 |
A program is free software if users have all of these freedoms. |
| 60 |
Thus, you should be free to redistribute copies, either with or |
| 61 |
without modifications, either gratis or charging a fee for |
| 62 |
distribution, to <a href="#exportcontrol">anyone anywhere</a>. Being |
| 63 |
free to do these things means (among other things) that you do not |
| 64 |
have to ask or pay for permission.</p> |
| 65 |
<p> |
| 66 |
You should also have the freedom to make modifications and use them |
| 67 |
privately in your own work or play, without even mentioning that they |
| 68 |
exist. If you do publish your changes, you should not be required to |
| 69 |
notify anyone in particular, or in any particular way.</p> |
| 70 |
<p> |
| 71 |
The freedom to use a program means the freedom for any kind of person |
| 72 |
or organization to use it on any kind of computer system, for any kind |
| 73 |
of overall job, and without being required to communicate subsequently |
| 74 |
with the developer or any other specific entity.</p> |
| 75 |
<p> |
| 76 |
The freedom to redistribute copies must include binary or executable |
| 77 |
forms of the program, as well as source code, for both modified and |
| 78 |
unmodified versions. (Distributing programs in runnable form is |
| 79 |
necessary for conveniently installable free operating systems.) It is |
| 80 |
ok if there is no way to produce a binary or executable form for a |
| 81 |
certain program (since some languages don't support that feature), but |
| 82 |
you must have the freedom to redistribute such forms should you find |
| 83 |
or develop a way to make them.</p> |
| 84 |
<p> |
| 85 |
In order for the freedoms to make changes, and to publish improved |
| 86 |
versions, to be meaningful, you must have access to the source code of |
| 87 |
the program. Therefore, accessibility of source code is a necessary |
| 88 |
condition for free software.</p> |
| 89 |
<p> |
| 90 |
One important way to modify a program is by merging in available free |
| 91 |
subroutines and modules. If the program's license says that you |
| 92 |
cannot merge in an existing module, such as if it requires you to be |
| 93 |
the copyright holder of any code you add, then the license is too |
| 94 |
restrictive to qualify as free.</p> |
| 95 |
<p> |
| 96 |
In order for these freedoms to be real, they must be irrevocable as |
| 97 |
long as you do nothing wrong; if the developer of the software has the |
| 98 |
power to revoke the license, without your doing anything to give |
| 99 |
cause, the software is not free.</p> |
| 100 |
<p> |
| 101 |
However, certain kinds of rules about the manner of distributing free |
| 102 |
software are acceptable, when they don't conflict with the central |
| 103 |
freedoms. For example, copyleft (very simply stated) is the rule that |
| 104 |
when redistributing the program, you cannot add restrictions to deny |
| 105 |
other people the central freedoms. This rule does not conflict with |
| 106 |
the central freedoms; rather it protects them.</p> |
| 107 |
<p> |
| 108 |
You may have paid money to get copies of free software, or you |
| 109 |
may have obtained copies at no charge. But regardless of how you got |
| 110 |
your copies, you always have the freedom to copy and change the |
| 111 |
software, even to <a href="/philosophy/selling.html">sell copies</a>.</p> |
| 112 |
<p> |
| 113 |
``Free software'' does not mean ``non-commercial''. A free program |
| 114 |
must be available for commercial use, commercial development, and |
| 115 |
commercial distribution. Commercial development of free software is |
| 116 |
no longer unusual; such free commercial software is very important.</p> |
| 117 |
<p> |
| 118 |
Rules about how to package a modified version are acceptable, if they |
| 119 |
don't substantively block your freedom to release modified versions, |
| 120 |
or your freedom to make and use modified versions privately. Rules |
| 121 |
that ``if you make your version available in this way, you must make |
| 122 |
it available in that way also'' can be acceptable too, on the same |
| 123 |
condition. (Note that such a rule still leaves you the choice of |
| 124 |
whether to publish your version at all.) Rules that require release |
| 125 |
of source code to the users for versions that you put into public use |
| 126 |
are also acceptable. It is also acceptable for the license to require |
| 127 |
that, if you have distributed a modified version and a previous |
| 128 |
developer asks for a copy of it, you must send one, or that you |
| 129 |
identify yourself on your modifications. |
| 130 |
</p> |
| 131 |
<p> |
| 132 |
In the GNU project, we use <a href="/copyleft/copyleft.html">``copyleft''</a> |
| 133 |
to protect these freedoms legally for everyone. But |
| 134 |
<a href="/philosophy/categories.html#Non-CopyleftedFreeSoftware">non-copylefted |
| 135 |
free software</a> also exists. We believe there are |
| 136 |
important reasons why <a href="/philosophy/pragmatic.html"> it is |
| 137 |
better to use copyleft</a>, but if your program is non-copylefted free |
| 138 |
software, we can still use it.</p> |
| 139 |
<p> |
| 140 |
See <a href="/philosophy/categories.html">Categories of Free Software</a> |
| 141 |
for a description of how ``free software,'' ``copylefted software'' and |
| 142 |
other categories of software relate to each other.</p> |
| 143 |
<p> |
| 144 |
Sometimes government <a id="exportcontrol">export control |
| 145 |
regulations</a> and trade sanctions can constrain your freedom to |
| 146 |
distribute copies of programs internationally. Software developers do |
| 147 |
not have the power to eliminate or override these restrictions, but |
| 148 |
what they can and must do is refuse to impose them as conditions of |
| 149 |
use of the program. In this way, the restrictions will not affect |
| 150 |
activities and people outside the jurisdictions of these governments.</p> |
| 151 |
<p> |
| 152 |
Most free software licenses are based on copyright, and there are |
| 153 |
limits on what kinds of requirements can be imposed through copyright. |
| 154 |
If a copyright-based license respects freedom in the ways described |
| 155 |
above, it is unlikely to have some other sort of problem that we never |
| 156 |
anticipated (though this does happen occasionally). However, some |
| 157 |
free software licenses are based on contracts, and contracts can |
| 158 |
impose a much larger range of possible restrictions. That means there |
| 159 |
are many possible ways such a license could be unacceptably |
| 160 |
restrictive and non-free.</p> |
| 161 |
<p> |
| 162 |
We can't possibly list all the ways that might happen. If a |
| 163 |
contract-based license restricts the user in an unusual way that |
| 164 |
copyright-based licenses cannot, and which isn't mentioned here as |
| 165 |
legitimate, we will have to think about it, and we will probably |
| 166 |
conclude it is non-free.</p> |
| 167 |
<p> |
| 168 |
When talking about free software, it is best to avoid using terms like |
| 169 |
``give away'' or ``for free'', because those terms imply that the |
| 170 |
issue is about price, not freedom. Some common terms such as |
| 171 |
``piracy'' embody opinions we hope you won't endorse. See |
| 172 |
<a href="/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html">Confusing Words and Phrases |
| 173 |
that are Worth Avoiding</a> for a discussion of these terms. |
| 174 |
We also have a list of <a href="/philosophy/fs-translations.html">translations |
| 175 |
of "free software"</a> into various languages.</p> |
| 176 |
<p> |
| 177 |
Finally, note that criteria such as those stated in this free software |
| 178 |
definition require careful thought for their interpretation. To |
| 179 |
decide whether a specific software license qualifies as a free |
| 180 |
software license, we judge it based on these criteria to determine |
| 181 |
whether it fits their spirit as well as the precise words. If a |
| 182 |
license includes unconscionable restrictions, we reject it, even if we |
| 183 |
did not anticipate the issue in these criteria. Sometimes a license |
| 184 |
requirement raises an issue that calls for extensive thought, |
| 185 |
including discussions with a lawyer, before we can decide if the |
| 186 |
requirement is acceptable. When we reach a conclusion about a new |
| 187 |
issue, we often update these criteria to make it easier to see why |
| 188 |
certain licenses do or don't qualify.</p> |
| 189 |
<p> |
| 190 |
If you are interested in whether a specific license qualifies as a |
| 191 |
free software license, see our <a |
| 192 |
href="/licenses/license-list.html">list of licenses</a>. If the |
| 193 |
license you are concerned with is not listed there, you can ask us |
| 194 |
about it by sending us email at <a |
| 195 |
href="mailto:licensing@gnu.org"><licensing@gnu.org></a>.</p> <p> |
| 196 |
If you are contemplating writing a new license, please contact the FSF |
| 197 |
by writing to that address. The proliferation of different free |
| 198 |
software licenses means increased work for users in understanding the |
| 199 |
licenses; we may be able to help you find an existing Free Software |
| 200 |
license that meets your needs. |
| 201 |
</p> |
| 202 |
|
| 203 |
<p> |
| 204 |
If that isn't possible, if you really need a new license, with our |
| 205 |
help you can ensure that the license really is a Free Software license |
| 206 |
and avoid various practical problems. |
| 207 |
</p> |
| 208 |
<hr /> |
| 209 |
|
| 210 |
<p> |
| 211 |
Another group has started using the term "open source" to mean |
| 212 |
something close (but not identical) to "free software". We prefer the |
| 213 |
term "free software" because, once you have heard it refers to freedom |
| 214 |
rather than price, <a href="free-software-for-freedom.html">it calls |
| 215 |
to mind freedom</a>. The word "open" never does that.</p> |
| 216 |
|
| 217 |
<hr /> |
| 218 |
<h4><a href="/philosophy/philosophy.html">Other Texts to Read</a></h4> |
| 219 |
|
| 220 |
|
| 221 |
<!-- All pages on the GNU web server should have the section about --> |
| 222 |
<!-- verbatim copying. Please do NOT remove this without talking --> |
| 223 |
<!-- with the webmasters first. --> |
| 224 |
<!-- Please make sure the copyright date is consistent with the document --> |
| 225 |
<!-- and that it is like this "2001, 2002" not this "2001-2002." --> |
| 226 |
|
| 227 |
<div class="translations"> |
| 228 |
<p><a id="translations"></a> |
| 229 |
<b>Translations of this page</b>:<br /> |
| 230 |
|
| 231 |
<!-- Please keep this list alphabetical, and in the original --> |
| 232 |
<!-- language if possible, otherwise default to English --> |
| 233 |
<!-- If you do not have it English, please comment what the --> |
| 234 |
<!-- English is. If you add a new language here, please --> |
| 235 |
<!-- advise web-translators@gnu.org and add it to --> |
| 236 |
<!-- - in /home/www/bin/nightly-vars either TAGSLANG or WEBLANG --> |
| 237 |
<!-- - in /home/www/html/server/standards/README.translations.html --> |
| 238 |
<!-- one of the lists under the section "Translations Underway" --> |
| 239 |
<!-- - if there is a translation team, you also have to add an alias --> |
| 240 |
<!-- to mail.gnu.org:/com/mailer/aliases --> |
| 241 |
<!-- Please also check you have the 2 letter language code right versus --> |
| 242 |
<!-- http://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/IG/ert/iso639.htm --> |
| 243 |
[ |
| 244 |
<a href="/philosophy/free-sw.ar.html">العربية</a> |<!-- Arabic --> |
| 245 |
<a href="/philosophy/free-sw.ca.html">Català</a> <!-- Catalan --> |
| 246 |
|
| 247 |
<!-- Chinese (Simplified) --> |
| 248 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.cn.html">简体中文</a> |
| 249 |
|
| 250 |
<!-- Chinese (Traditional) --> |
| 251 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.zh.html">繁體中文</a> |
| 252 |
|
| 253 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.cs.html">Česky</a> <!-- Czech --> |
| 254 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.da.html">Dansk</a> <!-- Danish --> |
| 255 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.de.html">Deutsch</a> <!-- German --> |
| 256 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.html">English</a> |
| 257 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.el.html">Ελληνικά</a> <!--Greek--> |
| 258 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.es.html">Español</a> <!-- Spanish --> |
| 259 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.eo.html">Esperanto</a> |
| 260 |
|
| 261 |
<!-- Persian/Farsi --> |
| 262 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.fa.html">فارسی</a> |
| 263 |
|
| 264 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.fr.html">Français</a> <!-- French --> |
| 265 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.gl.html">Galego</a> <!-- Galician --> |
| 266 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.he.html">עברית</a> <!-- Hebrew --> |
| 267 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.hr.html">Hrvatski</a> <!-- Croatian --> |
| 268 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.id.html">Bahasa Indonesia</a> <!-- Indonesian --> |
| 269 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.it.html">Italiano</a> <!-- Italian --> |
| 270 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.ja.html">日本語</a> <!-- Japanese --> |
| 271 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.ko.html">한국어</a> <!-- Korean --> |
| 272 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.hu.html">Magyar</a> <!-- Hungarian --> |
| 273 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.nl.html">Nederlands</a> <!-- Dutch --> |
| 274 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.no.html">Norsk</a> <!-- Norwegian --> |
| 275 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.pl.html">Polski</a> <!-- Polish --> |
| 276 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.pt.html">Português</a> <!-- Portuguese --> |
| 277 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.ro.html">Română</a> <!-- Romanian --> |
| 278 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.ru.html">Русский</a> <!-- Russian --> |
| 279 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.sl.html">Slovinsko</a> <!--- Slovenian --> |
| 280 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.sr.html">Српски</a> <!-- Serbian --> |
| 281 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.tl.html">Tagalog</a> <!-- Tagalog --> |
| 282 |
| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.tr.html">Türkçe</a> <!-- Turkish --> |
| 283 |
] |
| 284 |
</p> |
| 285 |
</div> |
| 286 |
|
| 287 |
<div class="copyright"> |
| 288 |
<p> |
| 289 |
Return to the <a href="/home.html">GNU Project home page</a>. |
| 290 |
</p> |
| 291 |
|
| 292 |
<p> |
| 293 |
Please send FSF & GNU inquiries to |
| 294 |
<a href="mailto:gnu@gnu.org"><em>gnu@gnu.org</em></a>. |
| 295 |
There are also <a href="/home.html#ContactInfo">other ways to contact</a> |
| 296 |
the FSF. |
| 297 |
<br /> |
| 298 |
Please send broken links and other corrections (or suggestions) to |
| 299 |
<a href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org"><em>webmasters@gnu.org</em></a>. |
| 300 |
</p> |
| 301 |
|
| 302 |
<p> |
| 303 |
Please see the |
| 304 |
<a href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations |
| 305 |
README</a> for information on coordinating and submitting |
| 306 |
translations of this article. |
| 307 |
</p> |
| 308 |
|
| 309 |
<p> |
| 310 |
Copyright (C) 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Free |
| 311 |
Software Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA |
| 312 |
02110, USA |
| 313 |
<br /> |
| 314 |
Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is |
| 315 |
permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is |
| 316 |
preserved. |
| 317 |
</p> |
| 318 |
|
| 319 |
<p> |
| 320 |
Updated: |
| 321 |
<!-- timestamp start --> |
| 322 |
$Date: 2006/05/20 09:35:17 $ $Author: hicham $ |
| 323 |
<!-- timestamp end --> |
| 324 |
</p> |
| 325 |
</div> |
| 326 |
|
| 327 |
</body> |
| 328 |
</html> |