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The Free Software Definition - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation (FSF) |
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<p><a href="#translations">Translations</a> of this page</p> |
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<h3>The Free Software Definition</h3> |
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<p> |
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<a href="/graphics/philosophicalgnu.html"> |
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<img src="/graphics/philosophical-gnu-sm.jpg" |
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alt=" [image of a Philosophical Gnu] " |
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</a> |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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We maintain this free software definition to show clearly what must |
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be true about a particular software program for it to be considered |
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free software. |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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<q>Free software</q> is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand |
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the concept, you should think of <q>free</q> as in <q>free speech,</q> |
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not as in <q>free beer.</q> |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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Free software is a matter of the users' freedom to run, copy, distribute, |
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study, change and improve the software. More precisely, it refers to |
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four kinds of freedom, for the users of the software: |
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</p> |
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|
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<ul> |
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<li>The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0).</li> |
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<li>The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to |
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your needs (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition |
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for this. |
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</li> |
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<li>The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor |
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(freedom 2). |
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</li> |
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<li>The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements |
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to the public, so that the whole community benefits (freedom 3). |
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Access to the source code is a precondition for this. |
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</li> |
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</ul> |
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|
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<p> |
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A program is free software if users have all of these freedoms. Thus, |
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you should be free to redistribute copies, either with or without |
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modifications, either gratis or charging a fee for distribution, to |
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<a href="#exportcontrol">anyone anywhere</a>. Being free to do these |
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things means (among other things) that you do not have to ask or pay |
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for permission. |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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You should also have the freedom to make modifications and use them |
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privately in your own work or play, without even mentioning that they |
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exist. If you do publish your changes, you should not be required to |
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notify anyone in particular, or in any particular way. |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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The freedom to run the program means the freedom for any kind of person |
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or organization to use it on any kind of computer system, for any kind of |
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overall job and purpose, without being required to communicate about it |
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with the developer or any other specific entity. In this freedom, it is |
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the <em>user's</em> purpose that matters, not the <em>developer's</em> |
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purpose; you as a user are free to run a program for your purposes, |
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and if you distribute it to someone else, she is then free to run it |
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for her purposes, but you are not entitled to impose your purposes on her. |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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The freedom to redistribute copies must include binary or executable |
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forms of the program, as well as source code, for both modified and |
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unmodified versions. (Distributing programs in runnable form is necessary |
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for conveniently installable free operating systems.) It is ok if there |
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is no way to produce a binary or executable form for a certain program |
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(since some languages don't support that feature), but you must have the |
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freedom to redistribute such forms should you find or develop a way to |
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make them. |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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In order for the freedoms to make changes, and to publish improved |
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versions, to be meaningful, you must have access to the source code of |
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the program. Therefore, accessibility of source code is a necessary |
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condition for free software. |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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One important way to modify a program is by merging in available |
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free subroutines and modules. If the program's license says that you |
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cannot merge in an existing module, such as if it requires you to be the |
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copyright holder of any code you add, then the license is too restrictive |
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to qualify as free. |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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In order for these freedoms to be real, they must be irrevocable as |
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long as you do nothing wrong; if the developer of the software has the |
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power to revoke the license, without your doing anything to give cause, |
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the software is not free. |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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However, certain kinds of rules about the manner of distributing free |
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software are acceptable, when they don't conflict with the central |
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freedoms. For example, copyleft (very simply stated) is the rule that |
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when redistributing the program, you cannot add restrictions to deny |
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other people the central freedoms. This rule does not conflict with |
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the central freedoms; rather it protects them. |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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You may have paid money to get copies of free software, or you may have |
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obtained copies at no charge. But regardless of how you got your copies, |
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you always have the freedom to copy and change the software, even to |
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<a href="/philosophy/selling.html">sell copies</a>. |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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<q>Free software</q> does not mean <q>non-commercial.</q> A free |
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program must be available for commercial use, commercial development, |
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and commercial distribution. Commercial development of free software |
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is no longer unusual; such free commercial software is very important. |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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Rules about how to package a modified version are acceptable, if they |
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don't substantively block your freedom to release modified versions, or |
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your freedom to make and use modified versions privately. Rules that <q>if |
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you make your version available in this way, you must make it available in |
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that way also</q> can be acceptable too, on the same condition. (Note that |
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such a rule still leaves you the choice of whether to publish your version |
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at all.) Rules that require release of source code to the users for |
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versions that you put into public use are also acceptable. It is also |
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acceptable for the license to require that, if you have distributed a |
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modified version and a previous developer asks for a copy of it, you |
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must send one, or that you identify yourself on your modifications. |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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In the GNU project, we use |
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<q><a href="/copyleft/copyleft.html">copyleft</a></q> |
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to protect these freedoms legally for everyone. But |
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<a href="/philosophy/categories.html#Non-CopyleftedFreeSoftware">non-copylefted |
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free software</a> also exists. We believe there are important reasons why |
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<a href="/philosophy/pragmatic.html"> it is better to use copyleft</a>, |
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but if your program is non-copylefted free software, we can still |
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use it. |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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See <a href="/philosophy/categories.html">Categories of Free Software</a> |
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for a description of how <q>free software,</q> <q>copylefted software</q> |
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and other categories of software relate to each other. |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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Sometimes government <a id="exportcontrol">export control regulations</a> |
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and trade sanctions can constrain your freedom to distribute copies of |
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programs internationally. Software developers do not have the power to |
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eliminate or override these restrictions, but what they can and must do |
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is refuse to impose them as conditions of use of the program. In this |
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way, the restrictions will not affect activities and people outside the |
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jurisdictions of these governments. |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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Most free software licenses are based on copyright, and there are limits |
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on what kinds of requirements can be imposed through copyright. If a |
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copyright-based license respects freedom in the ways described above, it |
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is unlikely to have some other sort of problem that we never anticipated |
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(though this does happen occasionally). However, some free software |
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licenses are based on contracts, and contracts can impose a much larger |
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range of possible restrictions. That means there are many possible ways |
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such a license could be unacceptably restrictive and non-free. |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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We can't possibly list all the ways that might happen. If a |
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contract-based license restricts the user in an unusual way that |
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copyright-based licenses cannot, and which isn't mentioned here as |
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legitimate, we will have to think about it, and we will probably conclude |
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it is non-free. |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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When talking about free software, it is best to avoid using terms |
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like <q>give away</q> or <q>for free,</q> because those terms imply that |
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the issue is about price, not freedom. Some common terms such |
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as <q>piracy</q> embody opinions we hope you won't endorse. See |
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<a href="/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html">Confusing Words and Phrases that |
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are Worth Avoiding</a> for a discussion of these terms. We also have |
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a list of <a href="/philosophy/fs-translations.html">translations of |
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<q>free software</q></a> into various languages. |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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Finally, note that criteria such as those stated in this free software |
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definition require careful thought for their interpretation. To decide |
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whether a specific software license qualifies as a free software license, |
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we judge it based on these criteria to determine whether it fits their |
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spirit as well as the precise words. If a license includes unconscionable |
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restrictions, we reject it, even if we did not anticipate the issue |
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in these criteria. Sometimes a license requirement raises an issue |
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that calls for extensive thought, including discussions with a lawyer, |
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before we can decide if the requirement is acceptable. When we reach |
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a conclusion about a new issue, we often update these criteria to make |
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it easier to see why certain licenses do or don't qualify. |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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If you are interested in whether a specific license qualifies as a free |
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software license, see our <a href="/licenses/license-list.html">list |
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of licenses</a>. If the license you are concerned with is not |
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listed there, you can ask us about it by sending us email at |
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<a href="mailto:licensing@gnu.org"><licensing@gnu.org></a>. |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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If you are contemplating writing a new license, please contact the FSF |
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by writing to that address. The proliferation of different free software |
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licenses means increased work for users in understanding the licenses; |
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we may be able to help you find an existing Free Software license that |
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meets your needs. |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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If that isn't possible, if you really need a new license, with our |
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help you can ensure that the license really is a Free Software license |
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and avoid various practical problems. |
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</p> |
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|
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<hr /> |
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|
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<p> |
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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 |
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the term <q>free software</q> because, once you have heard it refers to |
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freedom rather than price, <a href="free-software-for-freedom.html">it |
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calls to mind freedom</a>. The word <q>open</q> never does that. |
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</p> |
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|
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<hr /> |
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|
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<h4><a href="/philosophy/philosophy.html">Other Texts to Read</a></h4> |
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|
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<div class="translations"> |
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<p><a id="translations"></a> |
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<b>Translations of this page</b>:<br /> |
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|
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<!-- Please keep this list alphabetical, and in the original --> |
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<!-- language if possible, otherwise default to English --> |
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<!-- If you do not have it English, please comment what the --> |
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<!-- English is. If you add a new language here, please --> |
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<!-- advise web-translators@gnu.org and add it to --> |
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<!-- - in /home/www/bin/nightly-vars either TAGSLANG or WEBLANG --> |
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<!-- - in /home/www/html/server/standards/README.translations.html --> |
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<!-- one of the lists under the section "Translations Underway" --> |
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<!-- - if there is a translation team, you also have to add an alias --> |
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<!-- to mail.gnu.org:/com/mailer/aliases --> |
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<!-- Please also check you have the 2 letter language code right versus --> |
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[ |
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<a href="/philosophy/free-sw.ar.html">العربية</a> <!-- Arabic --> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.bg.html">български</a> <!-- Bulgarian --> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.ca.html">Català</a> <!-- Catalan --> |
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|
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<!-- Chinese (Simplified) --> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.cn.html">简体中文</a> |
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|
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<!-- Chinese (Traditional) --> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.zh.html">繁體中文</a> |
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|
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.cs.html">Česky</a> <!-- Czech --> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.da.html">Dansk</a> <!-- Danish --> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.de.html">Deutsch</a> <!-- German --> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.html">English</a> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.el.html">Ελληνικά</a> <!--Greek--> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.es.html">Español</a> <!-- Spanish --> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.eo.html">Esperanto</a> |
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|
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<!-- Persian/Farsi --> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.fa.html">فارسی</a> |
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|
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.fr.html">Français</a> <!-- French --> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.gl.html">Galego</a> <!-- Galician --> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.he.html">עברית</a> <!-- Hebrew --> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.hr.html">Hrvatski</a> <!-- Croatian --> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.id.html">Bahasa Indonesia</a> <!-- Indonesian --> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.it.html">Italiano</a> <!-- Italian --> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.ja.html">日本語</a> <!-- Japanese --> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.ko.html">한국어</a> <!-- Korean --> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.hu.html">Magyar</a> <!-- Hungarian --> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.nl.html">Nederlands</a> <!-- Dutch --> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.no.html">Norsk</a> <!-- Norwegian --> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.pl.html">Polski</a> <!-- Polish --> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.pt.html">Português</a> <!-- Portuguese --> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.ro.html">Română</a> <!-- Romanian --> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.ru.html">Русский</a> <!-- Russian --> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.sl.html">Slovinsko</a> <!--- Slovenian --> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.sr.html">Српски</a> <!-- Serbian --> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.tl.html">Tagalog</a> <!-- Tagalog --> |
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| <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.tr.html">Türkçe</a> <!-- Turkish --> |
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] |
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</p> |
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</div> |
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|
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<div class="copyright"> |
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<p> |
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Return to the <a href="/home.html">GNU Project home page</a>. |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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Please send FSF & GNU inquiries to |
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<a href="mailto:gnu@gnu.org"><em>gnu@gnu.org</em></a>. |
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There are also <a href="/home.html#ContactInfo">other ways to contact</a> |
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the FSF. |
| 350 |
<br /> |
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Please send broken links and other corrections (or suggestions) to |
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<a href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org"><em>webmasters@gnu.org</em></a>. |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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Please see the |
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<a href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations |
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README</a> for information on coordinating and submitting |
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translations of this article. |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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Copyright (C) 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Free |
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Software Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA |
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02110, USA |
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<br /> |
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Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is |
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permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is |
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preserved. |
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</p> |
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|
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<p> |
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Updated: |
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<!-- timestamp start --> |
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$Date: 2006/09/22 22:26:36 $ $Author: yavor $ |
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<!-- timestamp end --> |
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</p> |
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</div> |
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</body> |
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