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What Is the Free Software Foundation?
*************************************
The Free Software Foundation is dedicated to eliminating
restrictions on copying, redistribution, understanding, and
modification of computer programs. We do this by promoting the
development and use of free software in all areas of computer use.
Specifically, we are putting together a complete integrated
software system named "GNU" (GNU's Not Unix) that will be upwardly
compatible with Unix. Some large parts of this system are already
working, and we are distributing them now.
The word "free" in our name refers to two specific freedoms: first,
the freedom to copy a program and give it away to your friends and
co-workers; second, the freedom to change a program as you wish, by
having full access to source code. Furthermore, you can study the
source and learn how such programs are written. You may then be
able to port it, improve it, and share your changes with others.
Other organizations distribute whatever free software happens to be
available. By contrast, FSF concentrates on development of new
free software, working towards a GNU system complete enough to
eliminate the need to purchase a proprietary system.
Besides developing GNU, the Foundation has secondary functions:
producing tapes and printed manuals of GNU software, carrying out
distribution, and accepting gifts to support GNU development. We
are tax exempt; you can deduct donations to us on your tax returns.
Our development effort is funded partly from donations and partly
>from distribution fees. Note that the distribution fees purchase
just the service of distribution: you never have to pay anyone
license fees to use GNU software, and you always have the freedom
to make your copy from a friend's computer at no charge (provided
your friend is willing).
The Foundation also maintains a Service Directory: a list of people
who offer service for pay to users of GNU programs and systems.
The Service Directory is located in file `etc/SERVICE' in the GNU
Emacs distribution. Service can mean answering questions for new
users, customizing programs, porting to new systems, or anything
else. Contact us if you want to be listed or wish a copy.
After we create our programs, we continually update and improve
them. We release between 2 and 20 updates a year for each program.
Doing this while developing new programs takes a lot of work, so
any donations of pertinent source code and documentation, machines,
labor, or money are always appreciated.
The board of the Foundation is: Richard Stallman, President; Robert
J. Chassell, Treasurer; Gerald J. Sussman, Harold Abelson and
Leonard H. Tower Jr., Directors.
What Is Copyleft?
*****************
In the previous section entitled "What Is the Free Software
Foundation?" we state that "you never have to pay anyone license
fees to use GNU software, and you always have the freedom to make
your copy from a friend's computer at no charge." What exactly do
we mean by this, and how do we make sure that it stays true?
The simplest way to make a program free is to put it in the public
domain. Then people who get it from sharers can share it with
others. But this also allows bad citizens to do what they like to
do: sell binary-only versions under typical
don't-share-with-your-neighbor licenses. They would thus enjoy the
benefits of the freeness of the original program while withholding
these benefits from the users. It could easily come about that
most users get the program this way, and our goal of making the
program free for *all* users would have been undermined.
To prevent this from happening, we don't normally place GNU
programs in the public domain. Instead, we protect them by what we
call "copylefts". A copyleft is a legal instrument that makes
everybody free to copy a program as long as the person getting the
copy gets with it the freedom to distribute further copies, and the
freedom to modify their copy (which means that they must get access
to the source code). Typical software companies use copyrights to
take away these freedoms; now software sharers use copylefts to
preserve these freedoms.
The copyleft used by the GNU Project is made from a combination of
a copyright notice and the "GNU General Public License". The
copyright notice is the usual kind. The General Public License is
a copying license which basically says that you have the freedoms
we want you to have and that you can't take these freedoms away
from anyone else. (The actual document consists of several pages
of rather complicated legalbol that our lawyer said we needed.)
The complete license is included in all GNU source code
distributions and many manuals. We will send you a copy on
request.
We encourage others to copyleft their programs using the General
Public License; basically programs only need to include a few
sentences stating that the license applies to them. Specifics on
using the License accompany it, so refer there for details.
*"As we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others,
we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any
invention of ours."*
-Benjamin Franklin
Free Software Foundation
675 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge MA 02139
USA
+1 617 876 3296