Free software: Difference between revisions

 

'''Free software''', '''software libre''' or '''libre software''' is [[software]] that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with minimal restrictions only to ensure that further recipients can also do these things and that manufacturers of consumer-facing hardware allow user modifications to their hardware. Free software is available gratis (free of charge) in most cases.

 

== History ==

 

In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, it was normal for computer users to have the freedoms that are provided by free software. Software was commonly shared by individuals who used computers and by hardware manufacturers who were glad that people were making software that made their hardware useful. Organizations of users and suppliers were formed to facilitate the exchange of software, see, for example, SHARE. By the late 1960s change was inevitable: software costs were dramatically increasing, a growing software industry was competing with the hardware manufacturer's bundled software products (free in that the cost was included in the hardware cost), leased machines required software support while providing no revenue for software, and some customers able to better meet their own needs did not want the costs of "free" software bundled with hardware product costs. In ''United States vs. [[IBM]]'', filed January 17, 1969, the government charged that bundled software was anticompetitive.

 

== Definition ==

 

The first formal definition of free software was published by FSF in February 1986. That definition, written by Richard Stallman, is still maintained today and states that software is free software if people who receive a copy of the software have the following four freedoms:

 

== Examples of free software ==

 

The Free Software Directory maintains a large database of free software packages. Some of the best-known examples include the [[Linux Kernel]], the [[Berkeley Software Distribution|BSD]] and [[GNU]]/Linux operating systems, the [[GNU Compiler Collection]] and [[GNU C Library|C library]]; the [[MySQL]] relational database; the [[Apache HTTP Server|Apache]] web server; and the [[Sendmail]] mail transport agent. Other influential examples include the [[emacs]] text editor; the [[GIMP]] raster drawing and image editor; the [[X Window System]] graphical-display system; the [[OpenOffice.org]] office suite; and the [[TeX]] and [[LaTeX]] typesetting systems.

 

== Free software licenses ==

All free software licenses must grant people all the freedoms discussed above. However, unless the applications' licenses are compatible, combining programs by mixing source code or directly linking binaries is problematic, because of license technicalities. Programs indirectly connected together may avoid this problem.

 

== Controversies ==

=== Binary blobs ===

In 2006, [[OpenBSD]] started the first campaign against the use of [[binary blobs]], in [[kernel (computer science)|kernels]]. Blobs are usually freely distributable [[device driver]]s for hardware from vendors that do not reveal driver source code to users or developers. This restricts the users' freedom to effectively modify the software and distribute modified versions. Also, since the blobs are undocumented and may have [[computer bug|bugs]], they pose a security risk to any [[operating system]] whose kernel includes them. The proclaimed aim of the campaign against blobs is to collect hardware documentation that allows developers to write free software drivers for that hardware, ultimately enabling all free operating systems to become or remain blob-free.

 

 

=== BitKeeper ===

 

[[Larry McVoy]] invited high-profile free software projects to use his proprietary [[versioning system]], [[BitKeeper]], free of charge, in order to attract paying users. In 2002, Linux coordinator [[Linus Torvalds]] decided to use BitKeeper to develop the [[Linux kernel]], a free software project, claiming no free software alternative met his needs. This controversial decision drew criticism from several sources, including the Free Software Foundation's founder Richard Stallman.

 

=== Patent deals ===

 

In November 2006, the [[Microsoft]] and [[Novell]] software corporations announced a controversial partnership involving, among other things, patent protection for some customers of Novell under certain conditions.

 

== See also ==

* [[Free software community]]

* [[Free software licenses]]

== References ==

 

 

== External links ==