Free software

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Excerpt from GNU Project This page Translation Text

Free software definition

We maintain this article to show the definition of free software, indicating what software is appropriately referred to as "free software".

"Free Software" about "freedom" rather than price, "Free) This concept does not refer to" Free Beer ", but refers to" freedom of speech "[because of English freedom and free view: free] .

Software referred to in free software, its users have the freedom of use, copy, spread, research, rewrite, and then use the software. More precisely, free software gives users four freedoms:

Regardless of the purpose, there is freedom to use the software (zero zero). There is a freedom to study how the software operates, and can override the software to meet the needs of the user (one of the freedom). The source code for this software is achieved as before this purpose. There is a freedom to relish the software, so everyone can neighborly neighborly neighboring free software (iii 2). There is improved freedom to use the software, and you can post a rewrite version for public use, so that the entire community can benefit. As before, the source of the software acquisition is to mention this purpose (three).

If a software user has the above four rights, the software is called "free software". That is, the user must be freely, in a manner that does not charge or collect rationally distributed costs, rewrite the original or rewrite version of anyone to use anyone anyone. If the user does not have to ask anyone or pay any license fee, he means she / he has the freedom right given by free software.

Users should also have the right to freely rewrite software, and they can use these software to be used in work or entertainment.

This free power using software is suitable for anyone, any organization, any computer system, any working nature, no special and software author or other special person or units.

The freedom of reproduction software must be applied to the binary code and source code of the original and rewrite software. If the version of the binary code cannot be created, this action can be skipped, but if later users find other ways to make binary code. They must have the freedom to spread the binary code.

In order to achieve the free version of the free version, the user must have the source of the software source code, so the source code is the foundation of the free software.

In order to make these freedom come true, these freedoms cannot be changed as long as the user has not committed great crime. If the user does not do something wrong, the author has the power to cancel or withdraw its licensing method, then the software is not free software.

However, if additional regulations do not tweak with the above four main free rights, the additional provisions of the disconnected free software can be accepted. For example, the alternative copyright Copyleft specified that when the software is renewed, the author cannot add restrictions to reject the main freedom of freedom of others. This regulation does not have the main freedom of the above, but further protects the user's free software rights. .

Users can pay the GNU software, or, users can also get these software for free, but she / they must have the right to copy or write these software regardless of how users get these software. software.

Free software is not "non-commercial software". Free software must be available for commercial purposes. Free software's commercial development model is very common; such free business software is quite important.

If it does not affect the right to rewrite the rewritten by the later user, the additional specification is also possible to discover a rewritten free software production as a kit. Similarly, like this "If you use this way to issue software, you must make this software can also be available in this case (this type of provision also makes the user do not The selection of this software is issued). If the license requires "When you issue a revision, if the previous developer requires a copy, you must provide the condition, which is also in line with free. In the GNU project, we use Copyleft to protect each user's free software, but non-copyleft free software also exists. We believe that some important reasons make Copyleft's licensing method is better than other free software licensing methods, but if your software is not under CopyleFT, we also use it.

For free software, please see "The Type of Free Software" on the software of the software, and other kinds of software.

Sometimes, the government's export control and transaction licenses will limit the rights and freedom of users global distribution software. Although software developers do not have power to exclude or eliminate these restrictions, she / they can, must also refuse In this case, these conditions will not affect the user's free software freedom, and those related to free software, things, and things are not within the jurisdiction of these government departments. .

Most of the free software licenses are based on Copyleft, and the required types of requirements can be added. If a copyright-based license complies with the freedom as described above, it is unlikely to meet other types of problems we have never expected (although occasionally there will be). However, there are some free software licenses based on the terms of the contract, while the contract can be added to a large extent possible limit. This means that there is a license, there will be many possible ways to become limited to unacceptable, thus become "non-free".

We cannot list all possible contract restrictions that cannot be accepted. If a contract-based license is unusual way, it is unusual way to copyright-based license, and we will not be able to take the qualified [free terms] as described herein. Under the trial, and it is very likely to determine that it is non-free.

When talking about free software, it is best to avoid using the wording of "give" or "free", because these wesis will give people "free" means "free" misleading, and ignore the use Software freedom of freedom. Some words like "piracy" have similar meanings, we hope that the user of free software will not be alleged. For discussion of these wording, see "Easy confusing words, please try to avoid", we also have a variety of language versions of "translation of free software".

Finally, please note that these standards related to free software definitions require a prudent interpretation. We agree whether the software is in line with the standard of free software based on the spirit and key text of the above four-point software free software. If a software contains unfair, violates the restrictions of the above four free software spirit, even if the software is released, we refuse to use it. Sometimes, a license will trigger some discussion. Before receiving it a free software license, we need to judge and think together with some lawyers legal experts. When we reach a consensus, we will update free software Standards make users easier to understand what licensing methods are eligible or do not conform to free software definitions.

If you are interested in a certain licensing method that is in line with the free software, please see our article "Licensing Method", if you are interested in the licensing method is not in our list, please ask us directly through email . Let me trust . Maybe, if you really need a new license, then you can determine if the license is really free software license, so that many actual problems are avoided.

Other groups have begun to use the word "Open Source" to refer to things that are quite significant with "free software", but still do not have the same thing. We tend to use "Free Software" because you have heard it means freedom, not free, then you can know it from its name, it is free.

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Back to the GNU project home page.

Please send a query about the "Free Software Foundation" and "GNU Engineering" to GNU@gnu.org. There are also other ways to contact the Free Software Foundation. Send the failure link and the correction (or suggestions) of other pages to WebMasterS@gnu.org.

Please refer to the translation read me to obtain information about "coordination" and "authoring" translation.

Please send questions about the translation to the GNU / CTT translator. Translation: Lin Weiwei | Yuwei Lin | Yuwei {at} Ylin {Dot} ORG. Verification: Liu Zhaohong .

Copyright (C) 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2004 Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111, USA Verbatim Copying and Distribution of this entire article is Permitted in Any Medium WITHOUT ROYALTY Provided this Notice IS Preserved. This article allows you to publish in any form of media without changing the content of the document, but you need to retain this statement.

Updated:

$ Date: 2004/11/18 00:44:00 $ $ Author: Chstoneliu $

TRANSLATIONS OF this Page

Categories of Free and Non-Free Software

Here Is A Glossary of Various Categories of Software That Are Off Other Categories Over or Are Part of Other Categories of Free Software. It Explains.

Table of contents

Other Texts to Read `` Free software '' `` Open source '' `` Public domain software '' `` Copylefted software '' `` Non-copylefted free software '' `` GPL-covered software '' `` The GNU System '' `` gnu programs '`` gnu software' '`` non-free software' `` semi-free software '' `` `` `` `` `` `` `` ` .

Free Software

Free software is software that comes with permission for anyone to use, copy, and distribute, either verbatim or with modifications, either gratis or for a fee. In particular, this means that source code must be available. `` If it's not source, It's not software. '' this is a simplified definition; see also the

Full definition.

IF A Program Is Free, Then IT CAN Potentially Be Included In A Free Operating System Such As GNU, or Free Versions of The GNU / Linux System.

There are many different ways to make a program free --- many questions of detail, which could be decided in more than one way and still make the program free. Some of specific free software licenses the possible variations are described below. For information on See The License List page.

Free software is a matter of freedom, not price But proprietary software companies sometimes use the term `` free software '' to refer to price Sometimes they mean that you can obtain a binary copy at no charge;.. Sometimes they mean that a copy is included on a computer that you are buying. This has nothing to do with what we mean by free software in the GNU project.Because of this potential confusion, when a software company says its product is free software, always check the actual distribution terms To See WHETHER USERS Really Have All The Freedoms That Free Software Implies. Sometimes It Really Is Free Software; Sometimes It isn't.

Many Languages Have Two Separate Words for `` Free '' AS in Freedom and `` Free '' AS in Zero Price. For Example, French Has `` Libre '' and `` `'' '. Not so English; there is a word `` gratis '' that refers unambiguously to price, but no common adjective that refers unambiguously to freedom. So if you are speaking another language, we suggest you translate `` free '' into your language to make it clearer. See our list Of Translations of The Term "Free Software" Into Various Other Languages.

Free Software Is Offen More Reliable Than Non-Free Software.

Open Source Software

The term `` open source '' software is used by some people to mean more or less the same thing as free software However, their criteria are somewhat lax;. They accept some license restrictions that we consider too restrictive.

We prefer the Term `` Free Software '' Because IT Refers to Freedom - Something That The Term `` Open source '' does not do.

Public Domain SoftwarePublic Domain Software Is Software That Is Not CopyRighted. If The Source Code Is in The Public Domain, That Is A Special Case of

Non-Copylefted Free Software, Which Means That Some Copies or Modified Versions May Not Be Free At ALL.

In some cases, an executable program can be in the public domain but the source code is not available This is not free software, because free software requires accesibility of source code Meanwhile, most free software is not in the public domain;.. It is CopyRighted, And The Copyright Holders Have LEGALLY GIVEN Permission for Everyone To Use IT IN FREEDOM

Sometimes people`............................................................................................................................................. .

Under the Berne Convention, which most countries have signed, anything written down is automatically copyrighted. This includes programs. Therefore, if you want a program you have written to be in the public domain, you must take some legal steps to disclaim the copyright on IT; OtherWise, The Program Is CopyRighted.

Copylefted Software

Copylefted software is free software whose distribution terms do not let redistributors add any additional restrictions when they redistribute or modify the software. This means that every copy of the software, even if it has been modified, must be free software.

In the GNU Project, we copyleft almost all the software we write, because our goal is to give every user the freedoms implied by the term `` free software. '' See Copylefted for more explanation of how copyleft works and why we use it. copyleft is a general concept; to actually copyleft a program, you need to use a specific set of distribution terms there are many possible ways to write copyleft distribution terms, so in principle there can be many copyleft free software licenses However, in actual.. . practice nearly all copylefted software uses the GNU General Public License Two different copyleft licenses are usually `` incompatible '', which means it is illegal to merge the code using one license with the code using the other license; therefore, it is good for The Community if People Use A Single Copyleft license.

Non-Copylefted Free Software

Non-Copylefted Free Software Comes from the Author With Permission to Redistribute and Modify, And Also To Add Additional Restrictions to IT.

If a program is free but not copylefted, then some copies or modified versions may not be free at all. A software company can compile the program, with or without modifications, and distribute the executable file as a proprietary software product.

The X Window System illustrates this. The X Consortium releases X11 with distribution terms that make it non-copylefted free software. If you wish, you can get a copy which has those distribution terms and is free. However, there are non-free versions as well, and there are popular workstations and PC graphics boards for which non-free versions are the only ones that work. If you are using this hardware, X11 is not free software for you. The developers of X11 even made X11 non-free For a while.gpl-covered software

THE

GNU GPL (General Public License) IS One Specific Set of Distribution Terms for CopyleFTICT Uses It as The Distribution Terms for MOST GNU Software.

The gnu system

THE

GNU System Is A Complete Free Unix-Like Operating System.

A UNIX-LIKE OPERATING SYSTEM CONSISTS OF MANY Programs All The GNU Software, AS Well AS Many Other Packages Such as The x WINDOW SYSTEM AND TEX Which Are Not Gnu Software.

We have been developing and accumulating components for the GNU system since 1984;. The first test release of a `` complete GNU system '' was in 1996. In 2001 the GNU system with the Hurd began working reliably In the mean time, the GNU .

Since the purpose of GNU is to be free, every single component in the GNU system has to be free software They do not all have to be copylefted, however;. Any kind of free software is legally suitable to include if it helps meet technical GOALS. We can and do use non-copylefted free software such as the x window system.

GNU Programs

`` Gnu programs '' Is Equivalent To

GNU Software. A Program Foo Is A GNU Program IT IS GNU Software. We Also Sometimes Say IT IS A `` gnu package ''. Gnu Software

GNU Software Is Software That Is Released Under The Auspices of The

GNU Project. If a program is gnu software

Free Software Directory Indentifies All Gnu Packages.

Most GNU Software Is Copylefted, But Not All; However, All Gnu Software Must Be Free Software.

Some GNU software is written by staff of the Free Software Foundation, but most GNU software is contributed by volunteers Some contributed software is copyrighted by the Free Software Foundation;. Some is copyrighted by the contributors who wrote it.

Non-Free Software

Non-free Software is any Software That Is Not Free. This Includes

SEMI-Free Software and

ProPrietary Software.

Semi-free Software

Semi-free software is software that is not free, but comes with permission for individuals to use, copy, distribute, and modify (including distribution of modified versions) for non-profit purposes. PGP is an example of a semi-free program.

Semi-Free Software Is Much Better Ethically Than Proprietary Software, But It Still Poses Problems, And We Cannot Use IT IN A Free Operating System.

The restrictions of copyleft are designed to protect the essential freedoms for all users. For us, the only justification for any substantive restriction on using a program is to prevent other people from adding other restrictions. Semi-free programs have additional restrictions, motivated by purely Selfish Goals.

It is impossible to include semi-free software in a free operating system. This is because the distribution terms for the operating system as a whole are the conjunction of the distribution terms for all the programs in it. Adding one semi-free program to the system would make the system as a whole just semi-free There are two reasons we do not want that to happen:.. We believe that free software should be for everyone - including businesses, not just schools and hobbyists We want to invite business to use the whole GNU system, and therefore we must not include a semi-free program in it. Commercial distribution of free operating systems, including the GNU / Linux system, is very important, and users appreciate the convenience of commercial CD-ROM distributions Including One Semi-Free Program in an Operating System Would Cut Off Commercial CD-ROM Distribution for IT.

The Free Software Foundation itself is non-commercial, and therefore we would be legally permitted to use a semi-free program `` internally ''. But we do not do that, because that would undermine our efforts to obtain a program which we Could Also include in gnu.

If there is a job, then until we have a................................. . in GNU, so we hope you will write one '' If we ourselves used a semi-free program to do the job, that would undermine what we say; it would take away the impetus (on us, and on others who might listen TO OUR Views) to Write a Free Replacement. so we don't do what.

ProPrietary Software

Proprietary software is software that is not free or semi-free. Its use, redistribution or modification is prohibited, or requires you to ask for permission, or is restricted so much that you effectively can not do it freely.The Free Software Foundation follows the rule that we can not install any proprietary program on our computers except temporarily for the specific purpose of writing a free replacement for that very program. Aside from that, we feel there is no possible excuse for installing a proprietary program.

For example, we felt justified in installing Unix on our computer in the 1980s, because we were using it to write a free replacement for Unix Nowadays, since free operating systems are available, the excuse is no longer applicable;. We have eliminated all our .

We don't inSist this rule. It is a rule we worth ought. But we hope you will decide to follow it.

Freeware

THE TERM `` FREEWARE '' HAS NO CLEAR Accept Definition, But It Is Commonly Used for Packages Which Permit Redistribution But Not Modification (AND Their Source Code Is Not Available). Thase Packages Are

Not free software, so please don't use `` freeware '' to refer to free software.

Shareware

Shareware is Software Which Comes with permission for people, but selfistribute copies

Required to pay a license.

Shareware is not free software, or even semi-free. There Are Two Reasons It is not:

For most shareware, source code is not available; thus, you can not modify the program at all Shareware does not come with permission to make a copy and install it without paying a license fee, not even for individuals engaging in nonprofit activity (In.. Practice, People Offen Disregard The Distribution Terms and do this Anyway, But The Terms Don't permit it.) Private Software

Private Or Custom Software Is Software Developed for One User (Typically An Organization or Company). That User Keeps It And Uses It, And Does Not Release It To The Public Either As Source Code or As Binaries.

A private program is free software in a trivial sense if its unique user has full rights to it. However, in a deeper sense, it does not really make sense to pose the question of whether such a program is free software or not.

In general we do not believe it is wrong to develop a program and not release it. There are occasions when a program is so useful that withholding it from release is treating humanity badly. However, most programs are not that marvelous, and withholding them is NOT Particularly Harmful. Thus, There Is No Conflict Between The Development of Private OR Custom Software and The Principles of The Free Software Movement.

Nearly All Employment for Program Way Compatible with the Free Software Movement for Program Is in Development Of Custom Software; Or Could Be, Done IN A Way Compatible with the Free Software Movement.

Commercial Software

Commercial software is software being developed by a business which aims to make money from the use of the software. `` Commercial '' and `` proprietary '' are not the same thing! Most commercial software is

proprietary, but there is commercial free software, and there is non-commercial non-free software.For example, GNU Ada is always distributed under the terms of the GNU GPL, and every copy is free software; but its developers sell support contracts. When their salesmen speak to prospective customers, sometimes the customers say, `` We would feel safer with a commercial compiler '' The salesmen reply, `` GNU Ada is a commercial compiler; it happens to be free software. '.'

For the GNU Project, the emphasis is in the other order: the important thing is that GNU Ada is free software; whether it is commercial is not a crucial question However, the additional development of GNU Ada that results from its being commercial is definitely. BENEFICIAL.

Please help spread the awareness That Commercial Free Software is Possible. You can do this by making an effort not to say `` Commercial '' When You Mean `` Proprietary. ''

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