1 |
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//IETF//DTD HTML 2.0//EN"> |
2 |
<HTML> |
3 |
<HEAD> |
4 |
<TITLE>The Free Software Definition - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation (FSF)</TITLE> |
5 |
<LINK REV="made" HREF="mailto:webmasters@www.gnu.org"> |
6 |
</HEAD> |
7 |
<BODY BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#000000" LINK="#1F00FF" ALINK="#FF0000" VLINK="#9900DD"> |
8 |
<H3>The Free Software Definition</H3> |
9 |
|
10 |
<A HREF="/graphics/philosophicalgnu.html"><IMG SRC="/graphics/philosophical-gnu-sm.jpg" |
11 |
ALT=" [image of a Philosophical Gnu] " |
12 |
WIDTH="160" HEIGHT="200"></A> |
13 |
|
14 |
[ |
15 |
<A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.hr.html">Croatian</A> |
16 |
| <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.nl.html">Dutch</A> |
17 |
| <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.html">English</A> |
18 |
| <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.fr.html">French</A> |
19 |
| <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.hu.html">Hungarian</A> |
20 |
| <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.id.html">Indonesian</A> |
21 |
| <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.it.html">Italian</A> |
22 |
| <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.ja.html">Japanese</A> |
23 |
| <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.ko.html">Korean</A> |
24 |
| <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.no.html">Norwegian</A> |
25 |
| <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.pt.html">Portuguese</A> |
26 |
| <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.ru.html">Russian</A> |
27 |
| <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.es.html">Spanish</A> |
28 |
| <A HREF="/philosophy/free-sw.tr.html">Turkish</A> |
29 |
] |
30 |
<P> |
31 |
|
32 |
We maintain this free software definition to show clearly what must be |
33 |
true about a particular software program for it to be considered |
34 |
free software. |
35 |
|
36 |
<P> |
37 |
|
38 |
``Free software'' is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the |
39 |
concept, you should think of ``free'' as in ``free speech,'' not as in |
40 |
``free beer.'' |
41 |
<P> |
42 |
Free software is a matter of the users' freedom to run, copy, |
43 |
distribute, study, change and improve the software. More precisely, |
44 |
it refers to four kinds of freedom, for the users of the software: |
45 |
<P> |
46 |
|
47 |
<UL> |
48 |
<LI>The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0). |
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. |
51 |
<LI>The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor |
52 |
(freedom 2). |
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. |
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. |
65 |
|
66 |
<P> |
67 |
You should also have the freedom to make modifications and use them |
68 |
privately in your own work or play, without even mentioning that they |
69 |
exist. If you do publish your changes, you should not be required to |
70 |
notify anyone in particular, or in any particular way. |
71 |
|
72 |
<P> |
73 |
The freedom to use a program means the freedom for any kind of person |
74 |
or organization to use it on any kind of computer system, for any kind |
75 |
of overall job, and without being required to communicate subsequently |
76 |
with the developer or any other specific entity. |
77 |
|
78 |
<P> |
79 |
The freedom to redistribute copies must include binary or executable |
80 |
forms of the program, as well as source code, for both modified and |
81 |
unmodified versions. It is ok if there is no way to produce a binary |
82 |
or executable form, but people must have the freedom to redistribute |
83 |
such forms should they find a way to make them. |
84 |
|
85 |
<P> |
86 |
In order for the freedoms to make changes, and to publish improved |
87 |
versions, to be meaningful, you must have access to the source code of |
88 |
the program. Therefore, accessibility of source code is a necessary |
89 |
condition for free software. |
90 |
|
91 |
<P> |
92 |
In order for these freedoms to be real, they must be irrevocable as |
93 |
long as you do nothing wrong; if the developer of the software has the |
94 |
power to revoke the license, without your doing anything to give |
95 |
cause, the software is not free. |
96 |
|
97 |
<P> |
98 |
However, certain kinds of rules about the manner of distributing free |
99 |
software are acceptable, when they don't conflict with the central |
100 |
freedoms. For example, copyleft (very simply stated) is the rule that |
101 |
when redistributing the program, you cannot add restrictions to deny |
102 |
other people the central freedoms. This rule does not conflict with |
103 |
the central freedoms; rather it protects them. |
104 |
|
105 |
<P> |
106 |
Thus, you may have paid money to get copies of GNU software, or you |
107 |
may have obtained copies at no charge. But regardless of how you got |
108 |
your copies, you always have the freedom to copy and change the |
109 |
software, even to <A HREF="/philosophy/selling.html">sell copies</A>. |
110 |
|
111 |
<P> |
112 |
``Free software'' does not mean ``non-commercial''. A free program |
113 |
must be available for commercial use. Commercial development of free |
114 |
software is no longer unusual; such programs are free commercial |
115 |
software. |
116 |
|
117 |
<P> |
118 |
Rules about how to package a modified version are acceptable, if they |
119 |
don't effectively block your freedom to release modified versions. |
120 |
Rules that ``if you make the program available in this way, you must |
121 |
make it available in that way also'' can be acceptable too, on the |
122 |
same condition. (Note that such a rule still leaves you the choice of |
123 |
whether to publish the program or not.) |
124 |
|
125 |
<P> |
126 |
In the GNU project, we use <A HREF="/copyleft/copyleft.html"> |
127 |
``copyleft''</A> to protect these freedoms legally for everyone. But |
128 |
<A HREF="/philosophy/categories.html#Non-CopyleftedFreeSoftware"> |
129 |
non-copylefted free software</A> also exists. We believe there are |
130 |
important reasons why <A HREF="/philosophy/pragmatic.html"> it is |
131 |
better to use copyleft</A>, but if your program is non-copylefted free |
132 |
software, we can still use it. |
133 |
|
134 |
<P> |
135 |
See <A HREF="/philosophy/categories.html">Categories of Free Software |
136 |
(18k characters)</A> |
137 |
for a description of how ``free software,'' ``copylefted software'' and |
138 |
other categories of software relate to each other. |
139 |
|
140 |
<P> |
141 |
Sometimes government <A NAME="exportcontrol">export control |
142 |
regulations</A> and trade sanctions can constrain your freedom to |
143 |
distribute copies of programs internationally. Software developers do |
144 |
not have the power to eliminate or override these restrictions, but |
145 |
what they can and must do is refuse to impose them as conditions of |
146 |
use of the program. In this way, the restrictions will not affect |
147 |
activities and people outside the jurisdictions of these governments. |
148 |
|
149 |
<P> |
150 |
When talking about free software, it is best to avoid using terms like |
151 |
``give away'' or ``for free'', because those terms imply that the |
152 |
issue is about price, not freedom. Some common terms such as |
153 |
``piracy'' embody opinions we hope you won't endorse. See <A |
154 |
HREF="/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html">Confusing Words and Phrases |
155 |
that are Worth Avoiding</A> for a discussion of these terms. |
156 |
We also have a list of <A HREF="/philosophy/fs-translations.html">translations |
157 |
of "free software"</A> into various languages. |
158 |
|
159 |
<P> |
160 |
|
161 |
Finally, note that criteria such as those stated in this free software |
162 |
definition require careful thought for their interpretation. To |
163 |
decide whether a specific software license qualifies as a free |
164 |
software license, we judge it based on these criteria to determine |
165 |
whether it fits their spirit as well as the precise words. If a |
166 |
license includes unconscionable restrictions, we reject it, even if we |
167 |
did not anticipate the issue in these criteria. Sometimes a license |
168 |
requirement raises an issue that calls for extensive thought before we |
169 |
can decide if the requirement is acceptable, including discussions |
170 |
with a lawyer. When we reach a conclusion, we sometimes update these |
171 |
criteria to make it easier to see why certain licenses do or don't |
172 |
qualify. |
173 |
|
174 |
<P> |
175 |
|
176 |
If you are interested in whether a specific license qualifies as a |
177 |
free software license, see our <A |
178 |
HREF="/philosophy/license-list.html"> list of licenses </A>. If the |
179 |
license you are concerned with is not listed there, you can ask us |
180 |
about it by sending us email at <A |
181 |
HREF="mailto:licensing@gnu.org"><licensing@gnu.org></A>. |
182 |
|
183 |
<HR> |
184 |
|
185 |
<H4><A HREF="/philosophy/philosophy.html">Other Texts to Read</A></H4> |
186 |
|
187 |
<P> |
188 |
Another group has started using the term <A |
189 |
HREF="free-software-for-freedom.html"> open source</A> to mean |
190 |
something close (but not identical) to "free software". |
191 |
|
192 |
<HR> |
193 |
|
194 |
Return to <A HREF="/home.html">GNU's home page</A>. |
195 |
<P> |
196 |
FSF & GNU inquiries & questions to |
197 |
<A HREF="mailto:gnu@gnu.org"><EM>gnu@gnu.org</EM></A>. |
198 |
Other <A HREF="/home.html#ContactInfo">ways to contact</A> the FSF. |
199 |
<P> |
200 |
Comments on these web pages to |
201 |
<A HREF="mailto:webmasters@www.gnu.org"><EM>webmasters@www.gnu.org</EM></A>, |
202 |
send other questions to |
203 |
<A HREF="mailto:gnu@gnu.org"><EM>gnu@gnu.org</EM></A>. |
204 |
<P> |
205 |
Copyright (C) 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 Free Software Foundation, Inc., |
206 |
59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111, USA |
207 |
<P> |
208 |
Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is |
209 |
permitted in any medium, provided this notice is preserved.<P> |
210 |
Updated: |
211 |
<!-- timestamp start --> |
212 |
$Date: 2001/06/04 13:10:27 $ $Author: lmiguel $ |
213 |
<!-- timestamp end --> |
214 |
<HR> |
215 |
</BODY> |
216 |
</HTML> |