{"id":21145,"key":"Software_freedoms","title":"Software freedoms","latest":{"id":1207392,"timestamp":"2025-11-27T22:10:09Z"},"content_model":"wikitext","license":{"url":"https://www.appropedia.org/Appropedia:Copyrights","title":"CC-BY-SA-4.0"},"source":"'''Software freedom''' is essential to the philosophy of '''[[Free and Open Source Software]]'''. In short, it consists of the freedom to:\n\n* run,\n* copy,\n* distribute,\n* study,\n* change and improve\n\nthe software.\n\nMore precisely, it can be expressed in the four software freedoms, to:\n\n* Run the program, for any purpose.<ref>Like the laws of thermodynamics, the most basic principle was realized later than the one already labeled the \"first\". (Or is it simply a coding norm?)</ref> (Freedom 0)\n* Study how the program works, and change it as you wish (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this, hence the term \"Open Source Software\" as a synonym for \"Free Software\" (see [[#Terminology]] below). (Freedom 1)\n* Redistribute copies, so you can help your neighbor. (Freedom 2)\n* Improve the program, and distribute your improvements (and modified versions in general) to the public, so that the whole community benefits.<ref>This description of the freedoms is adapted from [http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html The Free Software Definition] and explained in more detail at that link.</ref>\n\nFor more detail, see [http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html '''The Four Freedoms'''] on the Free Software Foundation website.\n\n== Terminology ==\n\n\"Freedom\" in this sense is behind the term [[free software]] - \"Free Software\" means free as in [[freedom]] and \"free speech\", not free as in a free lunch.\n\nFree software is the older term, and still strongly preferred by some, but with almost exactly the same meaning as [[open source software]]. Open Source is intended to remove the ambiguity in the name \"Free Software.\" However this leads to controversy as some, notably free software pioneer Richard Stallman, passionately believe that [[freedom]] is the central concept.\n\nSometimes \"open source\" is not \"free\" software, but this is rare. The main difference is ideological, free software emphasizing freedom. \"FOSS\" or \"Free and open source software\"{{W|Free and open source software}} is sometimes used to avoid ambiguity and ideological arguments.\n\n== Notes ==\n\n<references />\n\n{{Page data\n| license = CC-BY-SA-3.0\n| description = Appropedia explains software freedom—your right to use, share, and improve software freely for open, collaborative development.\n}}\n\n[[Category:Open source software]]\n[[Category:Licenses]]"}