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About free software / Principles
What is Free Software?
"Free software" means software that respects users' freedom and community: Roughly, it means that the
users have the freedom to run, cOpY, distribute, study, change and improve the software. Thus,
"free software
matter of liberty; not price: To understand the concept;
should think of "free" as
in "free speech
not as in "free beer:
We sometimes call it "libre software_
borrowing the French or
Spanish word for "free
as in freedom, t0 show we do not mean the software is
You may have paid money t0 get copies of
free program, O1 YOu may have obtained copies at no
~charge. But regardless of how you got your copies, you always have the freedom to copy and change
the software, even to sell copies_
We
campaign for these freedoms because everyone deserves them. With these freedoms, the users (both
individually and collectively) control the program and what it does for them.
When users dont control the
program, we call it a
nonfree'
'proprietary" program: The nonfree program controls the users, and the
developer controls the program; this makes the program an instrument of unjust power:
"Open source
something different: it has
very different philosophy based on different values
practical
definition ic different too
hut nearlu all onen
Ctrca
Dronrinc aroin tact troo
We ernlain the difference in Whv
YOu
gratis.