<s>
Free	B-Application
software	I-Application
or	O
libre	B-Application
software	I-Application
is	O
computer	O
software	O
distributed	O
under	O
terms	O
that	O
allow	O
users	O
to	O
run	O
the	O
software	O
for	O
any	O
purpose	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
to	O
study	O
,	O
change	O
,	O
and	O
distribute	O
it	O
and	O
any	O
adapted	O
versions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Free	B-Application
software	I-Application
is	O
a	O
matter	O
of	O
liberty	O
,	O
not	O
price	O
;	O
all	O
users	O
are	O
legally	O
free	O
to	O
do	O
what	O
they	O
want	O
with	O
their	O
copies	O
of	O
a	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
(	O
including	O
profiting	O
from	O
them	O
)	O
regardless	O
of	O
how	O
much	O
is	O
paid	O
to	O
obtain	O
the	O
program	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	B-Application
programs	I-Application
are	O
deemed	O
"	O
free	O
"	O
if	O
they	O
give	O
end-users	O
(	O
not	O
just	O
the	O
developer	B-Application
)	O
ultimate	O
control	O
over	O
the	O
software	O
and	O
,	O
subsequently	O
,	O
over	O
their	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
right	O
to	O
study	O
and	O
modify	O
a	O
computer	B-Application
program	I-Application
entails	O
that	O
source	O
code	O
—	O
the	O
preferred	O
format	O
for	O
making	O
changes	O
—	O
be	O
made	O
available	O
to	O
users	O
of	O
that	O
program	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
this	O
is	O
often	O
called	O
"	O
access	B-License
to	I-License
source	I-License
code	I-License
"	O
or	O
"	O
public	O
availability	O
"	O
,	O
the	B-Operating_System
Free	I-Operating_System
Software	I-Operating_System
Foundation	I-Operating_System
(	O
FSF	O
)	O
recommends	O
against	O
thinking	O
in	O
those	O
terms	O
,	O
because	O
it	O
might	O
give	O
the	O
impression	O
that	O
users	O
have	O
an	O
obligation	O
(	O
as	O
opposed	O
to	O
a	O
right	O
)	O
to	O
give	O
non-users	O
a	O
copy	O
of	O
the	O
program	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
term	O
"	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
"	O
had	O
already	O
been	O
used	O
loosely	O
in	O
the	O
past	O
and	O
other	O
permissive	O
software	O
like	O
the	O
Berkeley	B-Operating_System
Software	I-Operating_System
Distribution	I-Operating_System
released	O
in	O
1978	O
existed	O
,	O
Richard	O
Stallman	O
is	O
credited	O
with	O
tying	O
it	O
to	O
the	O
sense	O
under	O
discussion	O
and	O
starting	O
the	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
movement	O
in	O
1983	O
,	O
when	O
he	O
launched	O
the	B-Application
GNU	I-Application
Project	I-Application
:	O
a	O
collaborative	O
effort	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
freedom-respecting	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
to	O
revive	O
the	O
spirit	O
of	O
cooperation	O
once	O
prevalent	O
among	O
hackers	O
during	O
the	O
early	O
days	O
of	O
computing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Free	B-Application
software	I-Application
thus	O
differs	O
from	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
proprietary	B-Application
software	I-Application
,	O
such	O
as	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Office	I-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Application
,	O
Adobe	B-Operating_System
Photoshop	I-Operating_System
,	O
Facebook	B-Application
or	O
iMessage	O
from	O
Apple	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
freeware	B-License
,	O
which	O
is	O
a	O
category	O
of	O
proprietary	B-Application
software	I-Application
that	O
does	O
not	O
require	O
payment	O
for	O
basic	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
software	O
under	O
the	O
purview	O
of	O
copyright	O
to	O
be	O
free	O
,	O
it	O
must	O
carry	O
a	O
software	B-License
license	I-License
whereby	O
the	O
author	O
grants	O
users	O
the	O
aforementioned	O
rights	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Proprietary	B-Application
software	I-Application
uses	O
restrictive	O
software	B-License
licences	I-License
or	O
EULAs	O
and	O
usually	O
does	O
not	O
provide	O
users	O
with	O
the	O
source	O
code	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
often	O
may	O
not	O
reverse	O
engineer	O
,	O
modify	O
,	O
or	O
redistribute	O
proprietary	B-Application
software	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Free	B-Application
software	I-Application
can	O
be	O
a	O
for-profit	O
,	O
commercial	O
activity	O
or	O
not	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
is	O
developed	O
by	O
volunteer	O
computer	B-Application
programmers	I-Application
while	O
other	O
is	O
developed	O
by	O
corporations	O
;	O
or	O
even	O
by	O
both	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
both	O
definitions	O
refer	O
to	O
almost	O
equivalent	O
corpora	O
of	O
programs	O
,	O
the	B-Operating_System
Free	I-Operating_System
Software	I-Operating_System
Foundation	I-Operating_System
recommends	O
using	O
the	O
term	O
"	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
"	O
rather	O
than	O
"	O
open-source	B-Application
software	I-Application
"	O
(	O
an	O
alternative	O
,	O
yet	O
similar	O
,	O
concept	O
coined	O
in	O
1998	O
)	O
,	O
because	O
the	O
goals	O
and	O
messaging	O
are	O
quite	O
dissimilar	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
the	B-Operating_System
Free	I-Operating_System
Software	I-Operating_System
Foundation	I-Operating_System
,	O
"	O
Open	B-License
source	I-License
"	O
and	O
its	O
associated	O
campaign	O
mostly	O
focus	O
on	O
the	O
technicalities	O
of	O
the	O
public	B-License
development	I-License
model	I-License
and	O
marketing	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
to	O
businesses	O
,	O
while	O
taking	O
the	O
ethical	O
issue	O
of	O
user	O
rights	O
very	O
lightly	O
or	O
even	O
antagonistically	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stallman	O
has	O
also	O
stated	O
that	O
considering	O
the	O
practical	O
advantages	O
of	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
is	O
like	O
considering	O
the	O
practical	O
advantages	O
of	O
not	O
being	O
handcuffed	O
,	O
in	O
that	O
it	O
is	O
not	O
necessary	O
for	O
an	O
individual	O
to	O
consider	O
practical	O
reasons	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
realize	O
that	O
being	O
handcuffed	O
is	O
undesirable	O
in	O
itself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
FSF	O
also	O
notes	O
that	O
"	O
Open	B-License
Source	I-License
"	O
has	O
exactly	O
one	O
specific	O
meaning	O
in	O
common	O
English	O
,	O
namely	O
that	O
"	O
you	O
can	O
look	O
at	O
the	O
source	O
code.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
states	O
that	O
while	O
the	O
term	O
"	O
Free	B-Application
Software	I-Application
"	O
can	O
lead	O
to	O
two	O
different	O
interpretations	O
,	O
at	O
least	O
one	O
of	O
them	O
is	O
consistent	O
with	O
the	O
intended	O
meaning	O
unlike	O
the	O
term	O
"	O
Open	B-License
Source	I-License
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
loan	O
adjective	O
"	O
libre	O
"	O
is	O
often	O
used	O
to	O
avoid	O
the	O
ambiguity	O
of	O
the	O
word	O
"	O
free	O
"	O
in	O
English	O
language	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
ambiguity	O
with	O
the	O
older	O
usage	O
of	O
"	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
"	O
as	O
public-domain	B-Application
software	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
formal	O
definition	O
of	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
was	O
published	O
by	O
FSF	O
in	O
February	O
1986	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
definition	O
,	O
written	O
by	O
Richard	O
Stallman	O
,	O
is	O
still	O
maintained	O
today	O
and	O
states	O
that	O
software	O
is	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
if	O
people	O
who	O
receive	O
a	O
copy	O
of	O
the	O
software	O
have	O
the	O
following	O
four	O
freedoms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thus	O
,	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
means	O
that	O
computer	O
users	O
have	O
the	O
freedom	O
to	O
cooperate	O
with	O
whom	O
they	O
choose	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
control	O
the	O
software	O
they	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
summarize	O
this	O
into	O
a	O
remark	O
distinguishing	O
libre	O
(	O
freedom	O
)	O
software	O
from	O
gratis	O
(	O
zero	O
price	O
)	O
software	O
,	O
the	B-Operating_System
Free	I-Operating_System
Software	I-Operating_System
Foundation	I-Operating_System
says	O
:	O
"	O
Free	B-Application
software	I-Application
is	O
a	O
matter	O
of	O
liberty	O
,	O
not	O
price	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
most	O
notable	O
are	O
Debian	B-License
Free	I-License
Software	I-License
Guidelines	I-License
published	O
in	O
1997	O
,	O
and	O
The	B-License
Open	I-License
Source	I-License
Definition	I-License
,	O
published	O
in	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
BSD-based	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
,	O
such	O
as	O
FreeBSD	B-Operating_System
,	O
OpenBSD	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
NetBSD	B-Device
,	O
do	O
not	O
have	O
their	O
own	O
formal	O
definitions	O
of	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
of	O
these	O
systems	O
generally	O
find	O
the	O
same	O
set	O
of	O
software	O
to	O
be	O
acceptable	O
,	O
but	O
sometimes	O
see	O
copyleft	B-License
as	O
restrictive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
generally	O
advocate	O
permissive	B-License
free	I-License
software	I-License
licenses	I-License
,	O
which	O
allow	O
others	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
software	O
as	O
they	O
wish	O
,	O
without	O
being	O
legally	O
forced	O
to	O
provide	O
the	O
source	O
code	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Kerberos	B-Protocol
,	O
X11	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Apache	B-Application
software	I-Application
licenses	I-Application
are	O
substantially	O
similar	O
in	O
intent	O
and	O
implementation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
thousands	O
of	O
free	O
applications	O
and	O
many	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
available	O
on	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
can	O
easily	O
download	O
and	O
install	O
those	O
applications	O
via	O
a	O
package	B-Application
manager	I-Application
that	O
comes	O
included	O
with	O
most	O
Linux	B-Application
distributions	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Free	B-Application
Software	I-Application
Directory	O
maintains	O
a	O
large	O
database	O
of	O
free-software	B-Application
packages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
the	O
best-known	O
examples	O
include	O
the	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
kernel	I-Operating_System
,	O
the	O
BSD	B-Operating_System
and	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
,	O
the	O
GNU	B-Application
Compiler	I-Application
Collection	I-Application
and	O
C	B-Language
library	I-Language
;	O
the	O
MySQL	B-Application
relational	O
database	O
;	O
the	O
Apache	B-Application
web	I-Application
server	I-Application
;	O
and	O
the	O
Sendmail	B-Application
mail	O
transport	O
agent	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
influential	O
examples	O
include	O
the	O
Emacs	B-Application
text	O
editor	O
;	O
the	B-Application
GIMP	I-Application
raster	O
drawing	O
and	O
image	O
editor	O
;	O
the	O
X	B-Operating_System
Window	I-Operating_System
System	I-Operating_System
graphical-display	O
system	O
;	O
the	O
LibreOffice	B-Application
office	O
suite	O
;	O
and	O
the	O
TeX	B-Application
and	O
LaTeX	B-Application
typesetting	I-Application
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
the	O
1950s	O
up	O
until	O
the	O
early	O
1970s	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
normal	O
for	O
computer	O
users	O
to	O
have	O
the	O
software	O
freedoms	O
associated	O
with	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
typically	O
public-domain	B-Application
software	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
software	O
was	O
often	O
written	O
in	O
an	O
interpreted	B-Application
language	I-Application
such	O
as	O
BASIC	O
,	O
the	O
source	O
code	O
was	O
distributed	O
to	O
use	O
these	O
programs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Software	O
was	O
also	O
shared	O
and	O
distributed	O
as	O
printed	O
source	O
code	O
(	O
Type-in	O
program	O
)	O
in	O
computer	O
magazines	O
(	O
like	O
Creative	B-General_Concept
Computing	I-General_Concept
,	O
SoftSide	O
,	O
Compute	O
!,	O
Byte	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
and	O
books	O
,	O
like	O
the	O
bestseller	O
BASIC	B-Application
Computer	I-Application
Games	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
the	O
early	O
1970s	O
,	O
the	O
picture	O
changed	O
:	O
software	O
costs	O
were	O
dramatically	O
increasing	O
,	O
a	O
growing	O
software	B-Application
industry	I-Application
was	O
competing	O
with	O
the	O
hardware	O
manufacturer	O
's	O
bundled	O
software	O
products	O
(	O
free	O
in	O
that	O
the	O
cost	O
was	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
hardware	O
cost	O
)	O
,	O
leased	O
machines	O
required	O
software	O
support	O
while	O
providing	O
no	O
revenue	O
for	O
software	O
,	O
and	O
some	O
customers	O
able	O
to	O
better	O
meet	O
their	O
own	O
needs	O
did	O
not	O
want	O
the	O
costs	O
of	O
"	O
free	O
"	O
software	O
bundled	O
with	O
hardware	O
product	O
costs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
1970s	O
and	O
early	O
1980s	O
,	O
the	O
software	B-Application
industry	I-Application
began	O
using	O
technical	O
measures	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
only	O
distributing	O
binary	B-Application
copies	I-Application
of	O
computer	B-Application
programs	I-Application
)	O
to	O
prevent	O
computer	O
users	O
from	O
being	O
able	O
to	O
study	O
or	O
adapt	O
the	O
software	O
applications	O
as	O
they	O
saw	O
fit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1980	O
,	O
copyright	O
law	O
was	O
extended	O
to	O
computer	B-Application
programs	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1983	O
,	O
Richard	O
Stallman	O
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
authors	O
of	O
the	O
popular	O
Emacs	B-Application
program	O
and	O
a	O
longtime	O
member	O
of	O
the	O
hacker	O
community	O
at	O
the	O
MIT	O
Artificial	O
Intelligence	O
Laboratory	O
,	O
announced	O
the	B-Application
GNU	I-Application
Project	I-Application
,	O
the	O
purpose	O
of	O
which	O
was	O
to	O
produce	O
a	O
completely	O
non-proprietary	O
Unix-compatible	B-Operating_System
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
saying	O
that	O
he	O
had	O
become	O
frustrated	O
with	O
the	O
shift	O
in	O
climate	O
surrounding	O
the	O
computer	O
world	O
and	O
its	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Software	O
development	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
GNU	I-Operating_System
operating	I-Operating_System
system	I-Operating_System
began	O
in	O
January	O
1984	O
,	O
and	O
the	B-Operating_System
Free	I-Operating_System
Software	I-Operating_System
Foundation	I-Operating_System
(	O
FSF	O
)	O
was	O
founded	O
in	O
October	O
1985	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
developed	O
a	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
definition	I-Application
and	O
the	O
concept	O
of	O
"	O
copyleft	B-License
"	O
,	O
designed	O
to	O
ensure	O
software	O
freedom	O
for	O
all	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
non-software	O
industries	O
are	O
beginning	O
to	O
use	O
techniques	O
similar	O
to	O
those	O
used	O
in	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
development	I-Application
for	O
their	O
research	O
and	O
development	O
process	O
;	O
scientists	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
are	O
looking	O
towards	O
more	O
open	B-License
development	I-License
processes	O
,	O
and	O
hardware	O
such	O
as	O
microchips	O
are	O
beginning	O
to	O
be	O
developed	O
with	O
specifications	O
released	O
under	O
copyleft	B-License
licenses	I-License
(	O
see	O
the	O
OpenCores	O
project	O
,	O
for	O
instance	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Creative	O
Commons	O
and	O
the	O
free-culture	B-Application
movement	I-Application
have	O
also	O
been	O
largely	O
influenced	O
by	O
the	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
movement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1983	O
,	O
Richard	O
Stallman	O
,	O
longtime	O
member	O
of	O
the	O
hacker	O
community	O
at	O
the	O
MIT	O
Artificial	O
Intelligence	O
Laboratory	O
,	O
announced	O
the	B-Application
GNU	I-Application
Project	I-Application
,	O
saying	O
that	O
he	O
had	O
become	O
frustrated	O
with	O
the	O
effects	O
of	O
the	O
change	O
in	O
culture	O
of	O
the	O
computer	O
industry	O
and	O
its	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Software	O
development	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
GNU	I-Operating_System
operating	I-Operating_System
system	I-Operating_System
began	O
in	O
January	O
1984	O
,	O
and	O
the	B-Operating_System
Free	I-Operating_System
Software	I-Operating_System
Foundation	I-Operating_System
(	O
FSF	O
)	O
was	O
founded	O
in	O
October	O
1985	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
article	O
outlining	O
the	O
project	O
and	O
its	O
goals	O
was	O
published	O
in	O
March	O
1985	O
titled	O
the	B-Application
GNU	I-Application
Manifesto	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
manifesto	O
included	O
significant	O
explanation	O
of	O
the	O
GNU	B-Operating_System
philosophy	O
,	O
Free	B-Application
Software	I-Application
Definition	I-Application
and	O
"	O
copyleft	B-License
"	O
ideas	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
kernel	I-Operating_System
,	O
started	O
by	O
Linus	O
Torvalds	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
as	O
freely	O
modifiable	O
source	O
code	O
in	O
1991	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
licence	O
was	O
a	O
proprietary	B-Application
software	I-Application
licence	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
with	O
version	O
0.12	O
in	O
February	O
1992	O
,	O
he	O
relicensed	O
the	O
project	O
under	O
the	O
GNU	B-License
General	I-License
Public	I-License
License	I-License
.	O
</s>
<s>
Much	O
like	O
Unix	O
,	O
Torvalds	O
 '	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
attracted	O
the	O
attention	O
of	O
volunteer	O
programmers	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
FreeBSD	B-Operating_System
and	O
NetBSD	B-Device
(	O
both	O
derived	O
from	O
386BSD	B-Operating_System
)	O
were	O
released	O
as	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
when	O
the	O
USL	B-Operating_System
v	I-Operating_System
.	I-Operating_System
BSDi	I-Operating_System
lawsuit	O
was	O
settled	O
out	O
of	O
court	O
in	O
1993	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
OpenBSD	B-Operating_System
forked	B-Application
from	O
NetBSD	B-Device
in	O
1995	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
in	O
1995	O
,	O
The	O
Apache	B-Application
HTTP	I-Application
Server	I-Application
,	O
commonly	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
Apache	B-Application
,	O
was	O
released	O
under	O
the	O
Apache	B-Application
License	I-Application
1.0	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
free-software	B-Application
licenses	O
must	O
grant	O
users	O
all	O
the	O
freedoms	O
discussed	O
above	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
majority	O
of	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
falls	O
under	O
a	O
small	O
set	O
of	O
licenses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Free	I-Operating_System
Software	I-Operating_System
Foundation	I-Operating_System
and	O
the	O
Open	B-License
Source	I-License
Initiative	O
both	O
publish	O
lists	O
of	O
licenses	O
that	O
they	O
find	O
to	O
comply	O
with	O
their	O
own	O
definitions	O
of	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
and	O
open-source	B-Application
software	I-Application
respectively	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
FSF	O
list	O
is	O
not	O
prescriptive	O
:	O
free-software	B-Application
licenses	O
can	O
exist	O
that	O
the	O
FSF	O
has	O
not	O
heard	O
about	O
,	O
or	O
considered	O
important	O
enough	O
to	O
write	O
about	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
open-source	B-Application
licenses	O
must	O
meet	O
the	B-License
Open	I-License
Source	I-License
Definition	I-License
in	O
order	O
to	O
be	O
officially	O
recognized	O
as	O
open	B-Application
source	I-Application
software	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Free	B-Application
software	I-Application
,	O
on	O
the	O
other	O
hand	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
more	O
informal	O
classification	O
that	O
does	O
not	O
rely	O
on	O
official	O
recognition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nevertheless	O
,	O
software	O
licensed	O
under	O
licenses	O
that	O
do	O
not	O
meet	O
the	B-Application
Free	I-Application
Software	I-Application
Definition	I-Application
cannot	O
rightly	O
be	O
considered	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apart	O
from	O
these	O
two	O
organizations	O
,	O
the	O
Debian	O
project	O
is	O
seen	O
by	O
some	O
to	O
provide	O
useful	O
advice	O
on	O
whether	O
particular	O
licenses	O
comply	O
with	O
their	O
Debian	B-License
Free	I-License
Software	I-License
Guidelines	I-License
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
rare	O
that	O
a	O
license	O
announced	O
as	O
being	O
in-compliance	O
with	O
the	O
FSF	O
guidelines	O
does	O
not	O
also	O
meet	O
the	B-License
Open	I-License
Source	I-License
Definition	I-License
,	O
although	O
the	O
reverse	O
is	O
not	O
necessarily	O
true	O
(	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
the	O
NASA	B-License
Open	I-License
Source	I-License
Agreement	I-License
is	O
an	O
OSI-approved	O
license	O
,	O
but	O
non-free	O
according	O
to	O
FSF	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
different	O
categories	O
of	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Public-domain	B-Application
software	I-Application
:	O
the	O
copyright	O
has	O
expired	O
,	O
the	O
work	O
was	O
not	O
copyrighted	O
(	O
released	O
without	O
copyright	O
notice	O
before	O
1988	O
)	O
,	O
or	O
the	O
author	O
has	O
released	O
the	O
software	O
onto	O
the	O
public	O
domain	O
with	O
a	O
waiver	O
statement	O
(	O
in	O
countries	O
where	O
this	O
is	O
possible	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
public-domain	B-Application
software	I-Application
lacks	O
copyright	O
protection	O
,	O
it	O
may	O
be	O
freely	O
incorporated	O
into	O
any	O
work	O
,	O
whether	O
proprietary	B-Application
or	O
free	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Permissive	B-License
licenses	I-License
,	O
also	O
called	O
BSD-style	O
because	O
they	O
are	O
applied	O
to	O
much	O
of	O
the	O
software	O
distributed	O
with	O
the	O
BSD	B-Operating_System
operating	I-Operating_System
systems	I-Operating_System
:	O
many	O
of	O
these	O
licenses	O
are	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
copyfree	O
as	O
they	O
have	O
no	O
restrictions	O
on	O
distribution	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
author	O
retains	O
copyright	O
solely	O
to	O
disclaim	O
warranty	O
and	O
require	O
proper	O
attribution	O
of	O
modified	O
works	O
,	O
and	O
permits	O
redistribution	O
and	O
modification	O
,	O
even	O
closed-source	B-Application
ones	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
this	O
sense	O
,	O
a	O
permissive	B-License
license	I-License
provides	O
an	O
incentive	O
to	O
create	O
non-free	B-Application
software	I-Application
,	O
by	O
reducing	O
the	O
cost	O
of	O
developing	O
restricted	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
this	O
is	O
incompatible	O
with	O
the	O
spirit	O
of	O
software	O
freedom	O
,	O
many	O
people	O
consider	O
permissive	B-License
licenses	I-License
to	O
be	O
less	O
free	O
than	O
copyleft	B-License
licenses	I-License
.	O
</s>
<s>
Copyleft	B-License
licenses	I-License
,	O
with	O
the	O
GNU	B-License
General	I-License
Public	I-License
License	I-License
being	O
the	O
most	O
prominent	O
:	O
the	O
author	O
retains	O
copyright	O
and	O
permits	O
redistribution	O
under	O
the	O
restriction	O
that	O
all	O
such	O
redistribution	O
is	O
licensed	O
under	O
the	O
same	O
license	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additions	O
and	O
modifications	O
by	O
others	O
must	O
also	O
be	O
licensed	O
under	O
the	O
same	O
"	O
copyleft	B-License
"	O
license	O
whenever	O
they	O
are	O
distributed	O
with	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
licensed	O
product	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
a	O
viral	O
,	O
protective	O
,	O
or	O
reciprocal	B-License
license	I-License
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
debate	O
over	O
the	O
security	O
of	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
in	O
comparison	O
to	O
proprietary	B-Application
software	I-Application
,	O
with	O
a	O
major	O
issue	O
being	O
security	O
through	O
obscurity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Free	B-Application
software	I-Application
advocates	O
strongly	O
believe	O
that	O
this	O
methodology	O
is	O
biased	O
by	O
counting	O
more	O
vulnerabilities	O
for	O
the	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
systems	O
,	O
since	O
their	O
source	O
code	O
is	O
accessible	O
and	O
their	O
community	O
is	O
more	O
forthcoming	O
about	O
what	O
problems	O
exist	O
,	O
(	O
This	O
is	O
called	O
"	O
Security	O
Through	O
Disclosure	O
"	O
)	O
and	O
proprietary	B-Application
software	I-Application
systems	O
can	O
have	O
undisclosed	O
societal	O
drawbacks	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
disenfranchising	O
less	O
fortunate	O
would-be	O
users	O
of	O
free	O
programs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
users	O
can	O
analyse	O
and	O
trace	O
the	O
source	O
code	O
,	O
many	O
more	O
people	O
with	O
no	O
commercial	O
constraints	O
can	O
inspect	O
the	O
code	O
and	O
find	O
bugs	B-Error_Name
and	O
loopholes	O
than	O
a	O
corporation	O
would	O
find	O
practicable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Richard	O
Stallman	O
,	O
user	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
source	O
code	O
makes	O
deploying	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
with	O
undesirable	O
hidden	O
spyware	O
functionality	O
far	O
more	O
difficult	O
than	O
for	O
proprietary	B-Application
software	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2006	O
,	O
OpenBSD	B-Operating_System
started	O
the	O
first	O
campaign	O
against	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
binary	O
blobs	O
in	O
kernels	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blobs	O
are	O
usually	O
freely	O
distributable	O
device	B-Application
drivers	I-Application
for	O
hardware	O
from	O
vendors	O
that	O
do	O
not	O
reveal	O
driver	O
source	O
code	O
to	O
users	O
or	O
developers	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
,	O
since	O
the	O
blobs	O
are	O
undocumented	O
and	O
may	O
have	O
bugs	B-Error_Name
,	O
they	O
pose	O
a	O
security	O
risk	O
to	O
any	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
whose	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
includes	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
proclaimed	O
aim	O
of	O
the	O
campaign	O
against	O
blobs	O
is	O
to	O
collect	O
hardware	O
documentation	O
that	O
allows	O
developers	B-Application
to	O
write	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
drivers	O
for	O
that	O
hardware	O
,	O
ultimately	O
enabling	O
all	O
free	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
to	O
become	O
or	O
remain	O
blob-free	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
issue	O
of	O
binary	O
blobs	O
in	O
the	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
kernel	I-Operating_System
and	O
other	O
device	B-Application
drivers	I-Application
motivated	O
some	O
developers	B-Application
in	O
Ireland	O
to	O
launch	O
gNewSense	O
,	O
a	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
based	O
distribution	O
with	O
all	O
the	O
binary	O
blobs	O
removed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
project	O
received	O
support	O
from	O
the	B-Operating_System
Free	I-Operating_System
Software	I-Operating_System
Foundation	I-Operating_System
and	O
stimulated	O
the	O
creation	O
,	O
headed	O
by	O
the	B-Operating_System
Free	I-Operating_System
Software	I-Operating_System
Foundation	I-Operating_System
Latin	O
America	O
,	O
of	O
the	O
Linux-libre	B-Application
kernel	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
October	O
2012	O
,	O
Trisquel	B-Application
is	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
FSF	O
endorsed	O
Linux	B-Application
distribution	I-Application
ranked	O
by	O
Distrowatch	O
(	O
over	O
12	O
months	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Debian	O
is	O
not	O
endorsed	O
by	O
the	O
FSF	O
and	O
does	O
not	O
use	O
Linux-libre	B-Application
,	O
it	O
is	O
also	O
a	O
popular	O
distribution	O
available	O
without	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
blobs	O
by	O
default	O
since	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Selling	B-Application
software	I-Application
under	O
any	O
free-software	B-Application
licence	O
is	O
permissible	O
,	O
as	O
is	O
commercial	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
true	O
for	O
licenses	O
with	O
or	O
without	O
copyleft	B-License
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
may	O
be	O
freely	O
redistributed	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
generally	O
available	O
at	O
little	O
or	O
no	O
fee	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Free	B-Application
software	I-Application
business	O
models	O
are	O
usually	O
based	O
on	O
adding	O
value	O
such	O
as	O
customization	O
,	O
accompanying	O
hardware	O
,	O
support	O
,	O
training	O
,	O
integration	O
,	O
or	O
certification	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fees	O
are	O
usually	O
charged	O
for	O
distribution	O
on	O
compact	O
discs	O
and	O
bootable	O
USB	O
drives	O
,	O
or	O
for	O
services	O
of	O
installing	O
or	O
maintaining	O
the	O
operation	O
of	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
of	O
large	O
,	O
commercially	O
used	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
is	O
often	O
funded	O
by	O
a	O
combination	O
of	O
user	O
donations	O
,	O
crowdfunding	O
,	O
corporate	O
contributions	O
,	O
and	O
tax	O
money	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
SELinux	B-Application
project	O
at	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
National	O
Security	O
Agency	O
is	O
an	O
example	O
of	O
a	O
federally	O
funded	O
free-software	B-Application
project	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Proprietary	B-Application
software	I-Application
,	O
on	O
the	O
other	O
hand	O
,	O
tends	O
to	O
use	O
a	O
different	O
business	O
model	O
,	O
where	O
a	O
customer	O
of	O
the	O
proprietary	B-Application
application	O
pays	O
a	O
fee	O
for	O
a	O
license	O
to	O
legally	O
access	O
and	O
use	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Often	O
some	O
level	O
of	O
support	O
is	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
purchase	O
of	O
proprietary	B-Application
software	I-Application
,	O
but	O
additional	O
support	O
services	O
(	O
especially	O
for	O
enterprise	O
applications	O
)	O
are	O
usually	O
available	O
for	O
an	O
additional	O
fee	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
proprietary	B-Application
software	I-Application
vendors	O
will	O
also	O
customize	O
software	O
for	O
a	O
fee	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Free	I-Operating_System
Software	I-Operating_System
Foundation	I-Operating_System
encourages	O
selling	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
Foundation	O
has	O
written	O
,	O
"	O
distributing	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
is	O
an	O
opportunity	O
to	O
raise	O
funds	O
for	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
the	O
FSF	O
's	O
own	O
recommended	O
license	O
(	O
the	O
GNU	B-License
GPL	I-License
)	O
states	O
that	O
"[you]	O
may	O
charge	O
any	O
price	O
or	O
no	O
price	O
for	O
each	O
copy	O
that	O
you	O
convey	O
,	O
and	O
you	O
may	O
offer	O
support	O
or	O
warranty	O
protection	O
for	O
a	O
fee.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
CEO	O
Steve	O
Ballmer	O
stated	O
in	O
2001	O
that	O
"	O
open	B-License
source	I-License
is	O
not	O
available	O
to	O
commercial	O
companies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
way	O
the	O
license	O
is	O
written	O
,	O
if	O
you	O
use	O
any	O
open-source	B-Application
software	I-Application
,	O
you	O
have	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
rest	O
of	O
your	O
software	O
open	O
source.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
misunderstanding	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
a	O
requirement	O
of	O
copyleft	B-License
licenses	I-License
(	O
like	O
the	O
GPL	B-License
)	O
that	O
if	O
one	O
distributes	O
modified	O
versions	O
of	O
software	O
,	O
they	O
must	O
release	O
the	O
source	O
and	O
use	O
the	O
same	O
license	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
requirement	O
does	O
not	O
extend	O
to	O
other	O
software	O
from	O
the	O
same	O
developer	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
claim	O
of	O
incompatibility	O
between	O
commercial	O
companies	O
and	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
is	O
also	O
a	O
misunderstanding	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Red	O
Hat	O
and	O
IBM	O
(	O
IBM	O
acquired	O
RedHat	O
in	O
2019	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
do	O
substantial	O
commercial	O
business	O
in	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Free	B-Application
software	I-Application
played	O
a	O
significant	O
part	O
in	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
Internet	O
,	O
the	O
World	O
Wide	O
Web	O
and	O
the	O
infrastructure	O
of	O
dot-com	O
companies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Free	B-Application
software	I-Application
allows	O
users	O
to	O
cooperate	O
in	O
enhancing	O
and	O
refining	O
the	O
programs	O
they	O
use	O
;	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
is	O
a	O
pure	O
public	O
good	O
rather	O
than	O
a	O
private	O
good	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Companies	O
that	O
contribute	O
to	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
increase	O
commercial	O
innovation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
economic	O
viability	O
of	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
has	O
been	O
recognized	O
by	O
large	O
corporations	O
such	O
as	O
IBM	O
,	O
Red	O
Hat	O
,	O
and	O
Sun	O
Microsystems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
companies	O
whose	O
core	O
business	O
is	O
not	O
in	O
the	O
IT	O
sector	O
choose	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
for	O
their	O
Internet	O
information	O
and	O
sales	O
sites	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
lower	O
initial	O
capital	O
investment	O
and	O
ability	O
to	O
freely	O
customize	O
the	O
application	O
packages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
companies	O
in	O
the	O
software	O
business	O
include	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
in	O
their	O
commercial	O
products	O
if	O
the	O
licenses	O
allow	O
that	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Free	B-Application
software	I-Application
is	O
generally	O
available	O
at	O
no	O
cost	O
and	O
can	O
result	O
in	O
permanently	O
lower	O
TCO	O
costs	O
compared	O
to	O
proprietary	B-Application
software	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
,	O
businesses	O
can	O
fit	O
software	O
to	O
their	O
specific	O
needs	O
by	O
changing	O
the	O
software	O
themselves	O
or	O
by	O
hiring	O
programmers	B-Application
to	O
modify	O
it	O
for	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Free	B-Application
software	I-Application
often	O
has	O
no	O
warranty	O
,	O
and	O
more	O
importantly	O
,	O
generally	O
does	O
not	O
assign	O
legal	O
liability	O
to	O
anyone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Such	O
an	O
agreement	O
is	O
made	O
separately	O
from	O
the	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
license	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
report	O
by	O
Standish	O
Group	O
estimates	O
that	O
adoption	O
of	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
has	O
caused	O
a	O
drop	O
in	O
revenue	O
to	O
the	O
proprietary	B-Application
software	I-Application
industry	O
by	O
about	O
$60billion	O
per	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eric	O
S	O
.	O
Raymond	O
argued	O
that	O
the	O
term	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
is	O
too	O
ambiguous	O
and	O
intimidating	O
for	O
the	O
business	O
community	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Raymond	O
promoted	O
the	O
term	O
open-source	B-Application
software	I-Application
as	O
a	O
friendlier	O
alternative	O
for	O
the	O
business	O
and	O
corporate	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
