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www/philosophy categories.html
|
From: |
Joakim Olsson |
|
Subject: |
www/philosophy categories.html |
|
Date: |
Tue, 20 Mar 2007 19:54:10 +0000 |
CVSROOT: /web/www
Module name: www
Changes by: Joakim Olsson <jocke> 07/03/20 19:54:10
Modified files:
philosophy : categories.html
Log message:
Made text a little easier to read.
CVSWeb URLs:
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/philosophy/categories.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.35&r2=1.36
Patches:
Index: categories.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /web/www/www/philosophy/categories.html,v
retrieving revision 1.35
retrieving revision 1.36
diff -u -b -r1.35 -r1.36
--- categories.html 20 Mar 2007 19:20:12 -0000 1.35
+++ categories.html 20 Mar 2007 19:54:06 -0000 1.36
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
<title>Categories of Free and Non-Free Software - GNU Project -
Free Software Foundation (FSF)</title>
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content=
-'text/html; charset=uutf-8' />
+'text/html; charset=utf-8' />
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/gnu.css" />
<link rev="made" href="mailto:address@hidden"; />
</head>
@@ -16,393 +16,438 @@
<!-- consistent with W3C xhtml 1.0 and CSS standards -->
<!-- See validator.w3.org -->
<body>
+
<h3>Categories of Free and Non-Free Software</h3>
-<p><a href="/graphics/philosophicalgnu.html"><img src=
-"/graphics/philosophical-gnu-sm.jpg" alt=
-" [image of a Philosophical Gnu] " width="160" height=
-"200" /></a></p>
+
+ <p><a href="/graphics/philosophicalgnu.html"><img src=
+ "/graphics/philosophical-gnu-sm.jpg" alt=
+ " [image of a Philosophical Gnu] " width="160" height=
+ "200" /></a></p>
+
<p><a href="#translations">Translations</a> of this page</p>
<hr />
-<p>Here is a glossary of various categories of software that are
-often mentioned in discussions of free software. It explains which
-categories overlap or are part of other categories.</p>
+ <p>Here is a glossary of various categories of software that are
+ often mentioned in discussions of free software. It explains which
+ categories overlap or are part of other categories.</p>
+
<h4>Table of Contents</h4>
+
<ul>
-<li><a href="/philosophy/philosophy.html">Other Texts to
-Read</a></li>
-<li>"<a href="#FreeSoftware" id="TOCFreeSoftware" name=
-"TOCFreeSoftware">Free software</a>"</li>
-<li>"<a href="#OpenSource" id="TOCOpenSource" name=
-"TOCOpenSource">Open source</a>"</li>
-<li>"<a href="#PublicDomainSoftware" id="TOCPublicDomainSoftware"
-name="TOCPublicDomainSoftware">Public domain software</a>"</li>
-<li>"<a href="#CopyleftedSoftware" id="TOCCopyleftedSoftware" name=
-"TOCCopyleftedSoftware">Copylefted software</a>"</li>
-<li>"<a href="#Non-CopyleftedFreeSoftware" id=
-"TOCNon-CopyleftedFreeSoftware" name=
-"TOCNon-CopyleftedFreeSoftware">Non-copylefted free
-software</a>"</li>
-<li>"<a href="#GPL-CoveredSoftware" id="TOCGPL-CoveredSoftware"
-name="TOCGPL-CoveredSoftware">GPL-covered software</a>"</li>
-<li>"<a href="#TheGNUsystem" id="TOCTheGNUsystem" name=
-"TOCTheGNUsystem">The GNU system</a>"</li>
-<li>"<a href="#GNUprograms" id="TOCGNUprograms" name=
-"TOCGNUprograms">GNU programs</a>"</li>
-<li>"<a href="#GNUsoftware" id="TOCGNUsoftware" name=
-"TOCGNUsoftware">GNU software</a>"</li>
-<li>"<a href="#non-freeSoftware" id="TOCnon-freeSoftware" name=
-"TOCnon-freeSoftware">Non-free software</a>"</li>
-<li>"<a href="#semi-freeSoftware" id="TOCsemi-freeSoftware" name=
-"TOCsemi-freeSoftware">Semi-free software</a>"</li>
-<li>"<a href="#ProprietarySoftware" id="TOCProprietarySoftware"
-name="TOCProprietarySoftware">Proprietary software</a>"</li>
-<li>"<a href="#shareware" id="TOCshareware" name=
-"TOCshareware">Shareware</a>"</li>
-<li>"<a href="#freeware" id="TOCfreeware" name=
-"TOCfreeware">Freeware</a>"</li>
-<li>"<a href="#PrivateSoftware" id="TOCPrivateSoftware" name=
-"TOCPrivateSoftware">Private (custom) software</a>"</li>
-<li>"<a href="#commercialSoftware" id="TOCcommercialSoftware" name=
-"TOCcommercialSoftware">Commercial software</a>"</li>
-<li><a href="/philosophy/philosophy.html">Other Texts to
-Read</a></li>
+
+ <li><a href="/philosophy/philosophy.html">Other Texts to Read</a></li>
+ <li>"<a href="#FreeSoftware"
+ id="TOCFreeSoftware" name="TOCFreeSoftware">Free software</a>"</li>
+ <li>"<a href="#OpenSource"
+ id="TOCOpenSource" name="TOCOpenSource">Open source</a>"</li>
+ <li>"<a href="#PublicDomainSoftware"
+ id="TOCPublicDomainSoftware"
+ name="TOCPublicDomainSoftware">Public domain software</a>"</li>
+ <li>"<a href="#CopyleftedSoftware"
+ id="TOCCopyleftedSoftware" name=
+ "TOCCopyleftedSoftware">Copylefted software</a>"</li>
+ <li>"<a href="#Non-CopyleftedFreeSoftware"
+ id="TOCNon-CopyleftedFreeSoftware" name=
+ "TOCNon-CopyleftedFreeSoftware">Non-copylefted free
+ software</a>"</li>
+ <li>"<a href="#GPL-CoveredSoftware"
+ id="TOCGPL-CoveredSoftware"
+ name="TOCGPL-CoveredSoftware">GPL-covered software</a>"</li>
+ <li>"<a href="#TheGNUsystem"
+ id="TOCTheGNUsystem" name=
+ "TOCTheGNUsystem">The GNU system</a>"</li>
+ <li>"<a href="#GNUprograms"
+ id="TOCGNUprograms" name=
+ "TOCGNUprograms">GNU programs</a>"</li>
+ <li>"<a href="#GNUsoftware"
+ id="TOCGNUsoftware" name=
+ "TOCGNUsoftware">GNU software</a>"</li>
+ <li>"<a href="#non-freeSoftware"
+ id="TOCnon-freeSoftware" name=
+ "TOCnon-freeSoftware">Non-free software</a>"</li>
+ <li>"<a href="#semi-freeSoftware"
+ id="TOCsemi-freeSoftware" name=
+ "TOCsemi-freeSoftware">Semi-free software</a>"</li>
+ <li>"<a href="#ProprietarySoftware"
+ id="TOCProprietarySoftware"
+ name="TOCProprietarySoftware">Proprietary software</a>"</li>
+ <li>"<a href="#shareware"
+ id="TOCshareware" name="TOCshareware">Shareware</a>"</li>
+ <li>"<a href="#freeware"
+ id="TOCfreeware" name="TOCfreeware">Freeware</a>"</li>
+ <li>"<a href="#PrivateSoftware"
+ id="TOCPrivateSoftware" name=
+ "TOCPrivateSoftware">Private (custom) software</a>"</li>
+ <li>"<a href="#commercialSoftware"
+ id="TOCcommercialSoftware" name=
+ "TOCcommercialSoftware">Commercial software</a>"</li>
+ <li><a href="/philosophy/philosophy.html">Other Texts to
+ Read</a></li>
+
</ul>
-<p>Also note <a href="/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html">Confusing
-Words which You Might Want to Avoid</a>.</p>
-<p><img src="/philosophy/category.jpg" alt=
-" [diagram of a the different categories of software] " /> This
-<a id="diagram" name="diagram">diagram</a> by Chao-Kuei explains
-the different categories of software. It's available as an <a href=
-"/philosophy/category.fig">XFig file</a>, as a <a href=
-"/philosophy/category.jpg">JPEG picture</a> and as a 1.5 magnified
-<a href="/philosophy/category.png">PNG image</a>.</p>
+
+ <p>Also note <a href="/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html">Confusing
+ Words which You Might Want to Avoid</a>.</p>
+ <p><img src="/philosophy/category.jpg" alt=
+ " [diagram of a the different categories of software] " /> This
+ <a id="diagram" name="diagram">diagram</a> by Chao-Kuei explains
+ the different categories of software. It's available as an <a href=
+ "/philosophy/category.fig">XFig file</a>, as a <a href=
+ "/philosophy/category.jpg">JPEG picture</a> and as a 1.5 magnified
+ <a href="/philosophy/category.png">PNG image</a>.</p>
+
<dl>
<dt><a href="#TOCFreeSoftware" id="FreeSoftware" name=
-"FreeSoftware"><strong>Free software</strong></a></dt>
-<dd>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
-<a href="/philosophy/free-sw.html">full definition</a>.
-<p>If a program is free, then it can potentially be included in a
-free operating system such as GNU, or free versions of the <a href=
-"/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html">GNU/Linux system</a>.</p>
-<p>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 the possible variations
-are described below. For information on specific free software
-licenses, see the <a href="/licenses/license-list.html">license
-list</a> page.</p>
-<p>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.</p>
-<p>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.</p>
-<p>Many languages have two separate words for "free" as in freedom
-and "free" as in zero price. For example, French has "libre" and
-"gratuit". 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 <a href=
-"/philosophy/fs-translations.html">translations of the term "free
-software"</a> into various other languages.</p>
-<p>Free software is often <a href="/software/reliability.html">more
-reliable</a> than non-free software.</p>
-</dd>
+ "FreeSoftware"><strong>Free software</strong></a></dt>
+
+ <dd>
+ 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
+ <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.html">full definition</a>.
+ <p>If a program is free, then it can potentially be included in a
+ free operating system such as GNU, or free versions of the <a href=
+ "/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html">GNU/Linux system</a>.</p>
+
+ <p>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 the possible variations
+ are described below. For information on specific free software
+ licenses, see the <a href="/licenses/license-list.html">license
+ list</a> page.</p>
+
+ <p>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.</p>
+
+ <p>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.</p>
+
+ <p>Many languages have two separate words for "free" as in freedom
+ and "free" as in zero price. For example, French has "libre" and
+ "gratuit". 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 <a href=
+ "/philosophy/fs-translations.html">translations of the term "free
+ software"</a> into various other languages.</p>
+
+ <p>Free software is often <a href="/software/reliability.html">more
+ reliable</a> than non-free software.</p>
+
+ </dd>
+
<dt><a href="#TOCOpenSource" id="OpenSource" name=
-"OpenSource"><strong>Open Source software</strong></a></dt>
-<dd>The term "open source" software is used by some people to mean
-more or less the same category as free software. It is not exactly
-the same class of software: they accept some licenses that we
-consider too restrictive, and there are free software licenses they
-have not accepted. However, the differences in extension of the
-category are small: nearly all free software is open source, and
-nearly all open source software is free.
-<p>We prefer the term "<a href=
-"/philosophy/free-software-for-freedom.html">free software</a>"
-because it refers to freedom--something that the term "open source"
-does not do.</p>
-</dd>
+ "OpenSource"><strong>Open Source software</strong></a></dt>
+
+ <dd>
+ The term "open source" software is used by some people to mean
+ more or less the same category as free software. It is not exactly
+ the same class of software: they accept some licenses that we
+ consider too restrictive, and there are free software licenses they
+ have not accepted. However, the differences in extension of the
+ category are small: nearly all free software is open source, and
+ nearly all open source software is free.
+ <p>We prefer the term "<a href=
+ "/philosophy/free-software-for-freedom.html">free software</a>"
+ because it refers to freedom--something that the term "open source"
+ does not do.</p>
+ </dd>
+
<dt><a href="#TOCPublicDomainSoftware" id="PublicDomainSoftware"
-name="PublicDomainSoftware"><strong>Public domain
-software</strong></a></dt>
-<dd>Public domain software is software that is not copyrighted. If
-the source code is in the public domain, that is a special case of
-<a href="#Non-CopyleftedFreeSoftware">non-copylefted free
-software</a> , which means that some copies or modified versions
-may not be free at all.
-<p>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 accessibility 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, using a free software
-license.</p>
-<p>Sometimes people use the term "public domain" in a loose fashion
-to mean <a href="#FreeSoftware">"free"</a> or "available gratis."
-However, "public domain" is a legal term and means, precisely, "not
-copyrighted". For clarity, we recommend using "public domain" for
-that meaning only, and using other terms to convey the other
-meanings.</p>
-<p>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.</p>
-</dd>
+ name="PublicDomainSoftware"><strong>Public domain
+ software</strong></a></dt>
+ <dd>Public domain software is software that is not copyrighted. If
+ the source code is in the public domain, that is a special case of
+ <a href="#Non-CopyleftedFreeSoftware">non-copylefted free
+ software</a> , which means that some copies or modified versions
+ may not be free at all.
+ <p>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 accessibility 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, using a free software
+ license.</p>
+ <p>Sometimes people use the term "public domain" in a loose fashion
+ to mean <a href="#FreeSoftware">"free"</a> or "available gratis."
+ However, "public domain" is a legal term and means, precisely, "not
+ copyrighted". For clarity, we recommend using "public domain" for
+ that meaning only, and using other terms to convey the other
+ meanings.</p>
+ <p>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.</p>
+ </dd>
+
<dt><a href="#TOCCopyleftedSoftware" id="CopyleftedSoftware" name=
-"CopyleftedSoftware"><strong>Copylefted software</strong></a></dt>
-<dd>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.
-<p>In the GNU Project, we copyleft almost all the software we
-write, because our goal is to give <em>every</em> user the freedoms
-implied by the term "free software." See <a href=
-"/copyleft/copyleft.html">Copylefted</a> for more explanation of
-how copyleft works and why we use it.</p>
-<p>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
-<a href="/copyleft/gpl.html">GNU General Public License</a>. 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.</p>
-</dd>
+ "CopyleftedSoftware"><strong>Copylefted software</strong></a></dt>
+ <dd>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.
+ <p>In the GNU Project, we copyleft almost all the software we
+ write, because our goal is to give <em>every</em> user the freedoms
+ implied by the term "free software." See <a href=
+ "/copyleft/copyleft.html">Copylefted</a> for more explanation of
+ how copyleft works and why we use it.</p>
+ <p>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
+ <a href="/copyleft/gpl.html">GNU General Public License</a>. 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.</p>
+ </dd>
+
<dt><a href="#TOCNon-CopyleftedFreeSoftware" id=
-"Non-CopyleftedFreeSoftware" name=
-"Non-CopyleftedFreeSoftware"><strong>Non-copylefted free
-software</strong></a></dt>
-<dd>Non-copylefted free software comes from the author with
-permission to redistribute and modify, and also to add additional
-restrictions to it.
-<p>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 <a href=
-"#ProprietarySoftware">proprietary</a> software product.</p>
-<p>The <a href="http://www.x.org";>X Window System</a> 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. <a href="/philosophy/x.html">The developers of
-X11 even made X11 non-free for a while.</a></p>
-</dd>
-<dt><a href="#TOCGPL-CoveredSoftware" id="GPL-CoveredSoftware"
-name="GPL-CoveredSoftware"><strong>GPL-covered
-software</strong></a></dt>
-<dd>The <a href="/copyleft/gpl.html">GNU GPL (General Public
-License)</a> is one specific set of distribution terms for
-copylefting a program. The GNU Project uses it as the distribution
-terms for most GNU software.</dd>
-<dt><a href="#TOCTheGNUsystem" id="TheGNUsystem" name=
-"TheGNUsystem"><strong>The GNU system</strong></a></dt>
-<dd>The <a href="/gnu/gnu-history.html">GNU system</a> is the
-Unix-like operating system, which is entirely free software, that
-we in the GNU Project have developed since 1984.
-<p>A Unix-like operating system consists of many programs. The GNU
-system includes all the GNU software, as well as many other
-packages such as the X Window System and TeX which are not GNU
-software.</p>
-<p>The first test release of the complete GNU system was in 1996.
-This includes the GNU Hurd, our kernel, developed since 1990. In
-2001 the GNU system (including the GNU Hurd) began working fairly
-reliably, but the Hurd still lacks some important features, so it
-is not widely used. Meanwhile, the <a href=
-"/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html">GNU/Linux system</a>, an offshoot of the
-GNU system which uses Linux as the kernel instead of the GNU Hurd,
-has been a great success since the 90s.</p>
-<p>Since the purpose of GNU is to be free, every single component
-in the GNU system has to be free software. They don't all have to
-be copylefted, however; any kind of free software is legally
-suitable to include if it helps meet technical goals. And it isn't
-necessary for all the components to be GNU software, individually.
-GNU can and does include non-copylefted free software such as the X
-Window System that were developed by other projects.</p>
-</dd>
-<dt><a href="#TOCGNUprograms" id="GNUprograms" name=
-"GNUprograms"><strong>GNU programs</strong></a></dt>
-<dd>"GNU programs" is equivalent to <a href="#GNUsoftware">GNU
-software.</a> A program Foo is a GNU program if it is GNU software.
-We also sometimes say it is a "GNU package".</dd>
-<dt><a href="#TOCGNUsoftware" id="GNUsoftware" name=
-"GNUsoftware"><strong>GNU software</strong></a></dt>
-<dd><a href="/software/software.html">GNU software</a> is software
-that is released under the auspices of the <a href=
-"/gnu/gnu-history.html">GNU Project</a>. If a program is GNU
-software, we also say that it is a GNU program or a GNU package.
-The README or manual of a GNU package should say it is one; also,
-the <a href="/directory">Free Software Directory</a> indentifies
-all GNU packages.
-<p>Most GNU software is <a href=
-"/copyleft/copyleft.html">copylefted</a> , but not all; however,
-all GNU software must be <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.html">free
-software</a>.</p>
-<p>Some GNU software is written by <a href=
-"/people/people.html">staff</a> of the <a href="/fsf/fsf.html">Free
-Software Foundation</a>, but most GNU software is contributed by
-<a href="/people/people.html">volunteers</a>. Some contributed
-software is copyrighted by the Free Software Foundation; some is
-copyrighted by the contributors who wrote it.</p>
-</dd>
-<dt><a href="#TOCnonFreeSoftware" id="non-freeSoftware" name=
-"non-freeSoftware"><strong>Non-free software</strong></a></dt>
-<dd>Non-free software is any software that is not free. This
-includes <a href="#semi-freeSoftware">semi-free software</a> and
-<a href="#ProprietarySoftware">proprietary software</a>.</dd>
-<dt><a href="#TOCsemi-freeSoftware" id="semi-freeSoftware" name=
-"semi-freeSoftware"><strong>Semi-free software</strong></a></dt>
-<dd>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.
-<p>Semi-free software is much better ethically than <a href=
-"#ProprietarySoftware">proprietary software</a>, but it still poses
-problems, and we cannot use it in a free operating system.</p>
-<p>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.</p>
-<p>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 <em>as a whole</em> just
-semi-free. There are two reasons we do not want that to happen:</p>
-<ul>
-<li>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.</li>
-<li>Commercial distribution of free operating systems, including
-the <a href="/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html">GNU/Linux system</a>, 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.</li>
-</ul>
-<p>The Free Software Foundation itself is non-commercial, and
-therefore we would be legally permitted to use a semi-free program
-"internally". But we don't do that, because that would undermine
-our efforts to obtain a program which we could also include in
-GNU.</p>
-<p>If there is a job that needs doing with software, then until we
-have a free program to do the job, the GNU system has a gap. We
-have to tell volunteers, "We don't have a program yet to do this
-job 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
-that.</p>
-</dd>
-<dt><a href="#TOCProprietarySoftware" id="ProprietarySoftware"
-name="ProprietarySoftware"><strong>Proprietary
-software</strong></a></dt>
-<dd>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't do it freely.
-<p>The Free Software Foundation follows the rule that we cannot
-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.</p>
-<p>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 non-free operating systems, and any new computer we install
-must run a completely free operating system.</p>
-<p>We don't insist that users of GNU, or contributors to GNU, have
-to live by this rule. It is a rule we made for ourselves. But we
-hope you will decide to follow it too.</p>
-</dd>
-<dt><a href="#TOCfreeware" id="freeware" name=
-"freeware"><strong>Freeware</strong></a></dt>
-<dd>The term "freeware" has no clear accepted definition, but it is
-commonly used for packages which permit redistribution but not
-modification (and their source code is not available). These
-packages are <em>not</em> free software, so please don't use
-"freeware" to refer to free software.</dd>
-<dt><a href="#TOCshareware" id="shareware" name=
-"shareware"><strong>Shareware</strong></a></dt>
-<dd>Shareware is software which comes with permission for people to
-redistribute copies, but says that anyone who continues to use a
-copy is <em>required</em> to pay a license fee.
-<p>Shareware is not free software, or even semi-free. There are two
-reasons it is not:</p>
-<ul>
-<li>For most shareware, source code is not available; thus, you
-cannot modify the program at all.</li>
-<li>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 often
-disregard the distribution terms and do this anyway, but the terms
-don't permit it.)</li>
-</ul>
-</dd>
-<dt><a href="categories.html#TOCPrivateSoftware" name=
-"PrivateSoftware" id="PrivateSoftware"><strong>Private
-software</strong></a></dt>
-<dd>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.
-<p>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.</p>
-<p>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.</p>
-<p>Nearly all employment for programmers is in development of
-custom software; therefore most programming jobs are, or could be,
-done in a way compatible with the free software movement.</p>
-</dd>
-<dt><a href="#TOCcommercialSoftware" id="commercialSoftware" name=
+ "Non-CopyleftedFreeSoftware" name=
+ "Non-CopyleftedFreeSoftware"><strong>Non-copylefted free
+ software</strong></a></dt>
+ <dd>Non-copylefted free software comes from the author with
+ permission to redistribute and modify, and also to add additional
+ restrictions to it.
+ <p>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 <a href=
+ "#ProprietarySoftware">proprietary</a> software product.</p>
+ <p>The <a href="http://www.x.org";>X Window System</a> 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. <a href="/philosophy/x.html">The developers of
+ X11 even made X11 non-free for a while.</a></p>
+ </dd>
+
+<dt><a href="#TOCGPL-CoveredSoftware" id=
+"GPL-CoveredSoftware" name="GPL-CoveredSoftware"><strong>GPL-covered
+ software</strong></a></dt>
+ <dd>The <a href="/copyleft/gpl.html">GNU GPL (General Public
+ License)</a> is one specific set of distribution terms for
+ copylefting a program. The GNU Project uses it as the distribution
+ terms for most GNU software.</dd>
+<dt><a href="#TOCTheGNUsystem" id=
+"TheGNUsystem" name="TheGNUsystem"><strong>The GNU system</strong></a></dt>
+ <dd>The <a href="/gnu/gnu-history.html">GNU system</a> is the
+ Unix-like operating system, which is entirely free software, that
+ we in the GNU Project have developed since 1984.
+ <p>A Unix-like operating system consists of many programs. The GNU
+ system includes all the GNU software, as well as many other
+ packages such as the X Window System and TeX which are not GNU
+ software.</p>
+ <p>The first test release of the complete GNU system was in 1996.
+ This includes the GNU Hurd, our kernel, developed since 1990. In
+ 2001 the GNU system (including the GNU Hurd) began working fairly
+ reliably, but the Hurd still lacks some important features, so it
+ is not widely used. Meanwhile, the <a href=
+ "/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html">GNU/Linux system</a>, an offshoot of the
+ GNU system which uses Linux as the kernel instead of the GNU Hurd,
+ has been a great success since the 90s.</p>
+ <p>Since the purpose of GNU is to be free, every single component
+ in the GNU system has to be free software. They don't all have to
+ be copylefted, however; any kind of free software is legally
+ suitable to include if it helps meet technical goals. And it isn't
+ necessary for all the components to be GNU software, individually.
+ GNU can and does include non-copylefted free software such as the X
+ Window System that were developed by other projects.</p>
+ </dd>
+
+<dt><a href="#TOCGNUprograms" id=
+"GNUprograms" name="GNUprograms"><strong>GNU programs</strong></a></dt>
+ <dd>"GNU programs" is equivalent to <a href="#GNUsoftware">GNU
+ software.</a> A program Foo is a GNU program if it is GNU software.
+ We also sometimes say it is a "GNU package".</dd>
+<dt><a href="#TOCGNUsoftware" id=
+"GNUsoftware" name="GNUsoftware"><strong>GNU software</strong></a></dt>
+ <dd><a href="/software/software.html">GNU software</a> is software
+ that is released under the auspices of the <a href=
+ "/gnu/gnu-history.html">GNU Project</a>. If a program is GNU
+ software, we also say that it is a GNU program or a GNU package.
+ The README or manual of a GNU package should say it is one; also,
+ the <a href="/directory">Free Software Directory</a> indentifies
+ all GNU packages.
+ <p>Most GNU software is <a href=
+ "/copyleft/copyleft.html">copylefted</a> , but not all; however,
+ all GNU software must be <a href="/philosophy/free-sw.html">free
+ software</a>.</p>
+ <p>Some GNU software is written by <a href=
+ "/people/people.html">staff</a> of the <a href="/fsf/fsf.html">Free
+ Software Foundation</a>, but most GNU software is contributed by
+ <a href="/people/people.html">volunteers</a>. Some contributed
+ software is copyrighted by the Free Software Foundation; some is
+ copyrighted by the contributors who wrote it.</p>
+ </dd>
+
+<dt><a href="#TOCnonFreeSoftware" id=
+"non-freeSoftware" name="non-freeSoftware"><strong>Non-free software</strong>
+</a></dt>
+ <dd>Non-free software is any software that is not free. This
+ includes <a href="#semi-freeSoftware">semi-free software</a> and
+ <a href="#ProprietarySoftware">proprietary software</a>.</dd>
+
+<dt><a href="#TOCsemi-freeSoftware" id=
+"semi-freeSoftware" name="semi-freeSoftware"><strong>Semi-free
software</strong>
+</a></dt>
+ <dd>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.
+ <p>Semi-free software is much better ethically than <a href=
+ "#ProprietarySoftware">proprietary software</a>, but it still poses
+ problems, and we cannot use it in a free operating system.</p>
+ <p>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.</p>
+ <p>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 <em>as a whole</em> just
+ semi-free. There are two reasons we do not want that to happen:</p>
+ <ul>
+ <li>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.</li>
+ <li>Commercial distribution of free operating systems, including
+ the <a href="/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html">GNU/Linux system</a>, 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.</li>
+ </ul>
+ <p>The Free Software Foundation itself is non-commercial, and
+ therefore we would be legally permitted to use a semi-free program
+ "internally". But we don't do that, because that would undermine
+ our efforts to obtain a program which we could also include in
+ GNU.</p>
+ <p>If there is a job that needs doing with software, then until we
+ have a free program to do the job, the GNU system has a gap. We
+ have to tell volunteers, "We don't have a program yet to do this
+ job 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
+ that.</p>
+ </dd>
+
+<dt><a href="#TOCProprietarySoftware" id=
+"ProprietarySoftware" name="ProprietarySoftware"><strong>Proprietary
+ software</strong></a></dt>
+ <dd>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't do it freely.
+ <p>The Free Software Foundation follows the rule that we cannot
+ 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.</p>
+ <p>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 non-free operating systems, and any new computer we install
+ must run a completely free operating system.</p>
+ <p>We don't insist that users of GNU, or contributors to GNU, have
+ to live by this rule. It is a rule we made for ourselves. But we
+ hope you will decide to follow it too.</p>
+ </dd>
+
+<dt><a href="#TOCfreeware" id=
+"freeware" name="freeware"><strong>Freeware</strong></a></dt>
+ <dd>The term "freeware" has no clear accepted definition, but it is
+ commonly used for packages which permit redistribution but not
+ modification (and their source code is not available). These
+ packages are <em>not</em> free software, so please don't use
+ "freeware" to refer to free software.</dd>
+
+<dt><a href="#TOCshareware" id=
+"shareware" name="shareware"><strong>Shareware</strong></a></dt>
+ <dd>Shareware is software which comes with permission for people to
+ redistribute copies, but says that anyone who continues to use a
+ copy is <em>required</em> to pay a license fee.
+ <p>Shareware is not free software, or even semi-free. There are two
+ reasons it is not:</p>
+ <ul>
+ <li>For most shareware, source code is not available; thus, you
+ cannot modify the program at all.</li>
+ <li>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 often
+ disregard the distribution terms and do this anyway, but the terms
+ don't permit it.)</li>
+ </ul>
+ </dd>
+
+<dt><a href="categories.html#TOCPrivateSoftware" name="PrivateSoftware" id=
+"PrivateSoftware"><strong>Private software</strong></a></dt>
+ <dd>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.
+ <p>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.</p>
+ <p>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.</p>
+ <p>Nearly all employment for programmers is in development of
+ custom software; therefore most programming jobs are, or could be,
+ done in a way compatible with the free software movement.</p>
+ </dd>
+
+<dt><a href="#TOCcommercialSoftware" id=
+"commercialSoftware" name=
"commercialSoftware"><strong>Commercial Software</strong></a></dt>
-<dd>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 <a href="#ProprietarySoftware">proprietary</a>, but there is
-commercial free software, and there is non-commercial non-free
-software.
-<p>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 <em>is</em> a
-commercial compiler; it happens to be free software."</p>
-<p>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.</p>
-<p>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."</p>
-</dd>
-</dl>
+ <dd>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 <a href="#ProprietarySoftware">proprietary</a>, but there is
+ commercial free software, and there is non-commercial non-free
+ software.
+ <p>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 <em>is</em> a
+ commercial compiler; it happens to be free software."</p>
+ <p>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.</p>
+ <p>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."</p>
+ </dd>
+ </dl>
+
<hr />
<h4><a href="/philosophy/philosophy.html">Other Texts to
Read</a></h4>
@@ -412,6 +457,7 @@
<!-- with the webmasters first. -->
<!-- Please make sure the copyright date is consistent with the document -->
<!-- and that it is like this "2001, 2002" not this "2001-2002." -->
+
<div class="translations">
<p><a id="translations" name="translations"></a> <b>Translations of
this page</b>:<br />
@@ -459,6 +505,7 @@
<!-- Serbian -->
]</p>
</div>
+
<div class="copyright">
<p>Return to the <a href="/home.html">GNU Project home
page</a>.</p>
@@ -480,7 +527,7 @@
permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is
preserved.</p>
<p>Updated: <!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2007/03/20 19:20:12 $ $Author: jocke $
+$Date: 2007/03/20 19:54:06 $ $Author: jocke $
<!-- timestamp end --></p>
</div>
</body>