Difference between revisions of "Free software movement"
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| − | '''Free software''' is software that is made available under a | + | '''Free software''' is software that is made available under a license that grants the user specific rights that are not typically granted for proprietary software, which include: |
* Run the program for any purpose | * Run the program for any purpose | ||
* Study how the software works and modify it to meet your needs | * Study how the software works and modify it to meet your needs | ||
| Line 5: | Line 5: | ||
* Publish modifications to the software | * Publish modifications to the software | ||
| − | In order to | + | In order to fulfill these requirements access to the [[source code]] is essential, so free software is a type of [[open source]] software. The right to distribute the software may be subject to a clause that ensures that future recipients of the software have the same freedoms. |
Examples of free software are the [[Linux]] operating system and the [[Apache (software)|Apache]] web server. | Examples of free software are the [[Linux]] operating system and the [[Apache (software)|Apache]] web server. | ||
Revision as of 02:48, July 4, 2007
Free software is software that is made available under a license that grants the user specific rights that are not typically granted for proprietary software, which include:
- Run the program for any purpose
- Study how the software works and modify it to meet your needs
- Distribute copies of the software
- Publish modifications to the software
In order to fulfill these requirements access to the source code is essential, so free software is a type of open source software. The right to distribute the software may be subject to a clause that ensures that future recipients of the software have the same freedoms.
Examples of free software are the Linux operating system and the Apache web server.