What is meant by free software license?
|
To use free software is to make a political and ethical choice asserting the right to learn, and share what we learn with others. Free software has become the foundation of a learning society where we share our knowledge in a way that others can build upon and enjoy. Show Currently, many people use proprietary software that denies users these freedoms and benefits. If we make a copy and give it to a friend, if we try to figure out how the program works, if we put a copy on more than one of our own computers in our own home, we could be caught and fined or put in jail. That’s what’s in the fine print of the license agreement you accept when using proprietary software. The corporations behind proprietary software will often spy on your activities and restrict you from sharing with others. And because our computers control much of our personal information and daily activities, proprietary software represents an unacceptable danger to a free society. The GNU Operating System and the Free Software MovementWhat if there were a worldwide group of talented ethical programmers voluntarily committed to the idea of writing and sharing software with each other and with anyone else who agreed to share alike? What if anyone could be a part of and benefit from this community even without being a computer expert or knowing anything about programming? We wouldn’t have to worry about getting caught copying a useful program for our friends—because we wouldn’t be doing anything wrong. In fact, such a movement exists, and you can be part of it. The free software movement was started in 1983 by computer scientist Richard M. Stallman, when he launched a project called GNU, which stands for “GNU is Not UNIX”, to provide a replacement for the UNIX operating system—a replacement that would respect the freedoms of those using it. Then in 1985, Stallman started the Free Software Foundation, a nonprofit with the mission of advocating and educating on behalf of computer users around the world. There are now many variants or 'distributions' of this GNU operating system using the kernel Linux. We recommend those GNU/Linux distributions that are 100% free software; in other words, entirely freedom-respecting. Today, free software is available for just about any task you can imagine. From complete operating systems like GNU, to over 5,000 individual programs and tools listed in the FSF/UNESCO free software directory. Millions of people around the world—including entire governments—are now using free software on their computers. The FSF also provides other important resources to the community. ‘Free software’ is a term that describes software that allows users to freely look at the programming code, modify it, distribute it, and use it without any restriction. WordPress chose the free software model because it has a philosophy that encourages a spirit of openness and sharing. It helps their aim of being a welcoming and inclusive community. The Meaning of ‘Free’Let’s begin by defining what ‘free’ means. With free software, it’s more like ‘free speech’ than ‘free beer’. Parties that give away free beer are popular because the guests can drink without having to pay. In that case, the word ‘free’ means ‘free of charge’. That’s one reason WordPress is so popular. Like the beer at the party, it’s free of charge. While there are other costs involved in building a website, the WordPress software is doesn’t cost a cent.  But free software is more like free speech than free beer. In other words, it’s primarily about freedom, not price. The Free Software movement was started in 1989 by Richard Stallman because he was troubled that software licenses becoming more restrictive. It’s not just a software movement, but a social one. Stallman wanted to protect the freedom of software users. He wanted them to be able to help their neighbors by sharing software, something that many proprietary software licenses do not allow. So he created a software license to meet this goal. Free software primarily refers to software released under the GNU General Public License or GPL, such as Stallman’s own GNU operating system. What is the GPL?The GPL is a software license that’s currently administered by the Free Software Foundation (FSF). It’s been revised several times in order to better protect the freedom of software users. The GPL can be thought of as a ‘Bill of Rights’ that offers four freedoms:
The only restriction is that if you share a modified version of GPL software, then it must also have a GPL license. This is called ‘copyleft’, a play on the word ‘copyright’, and makes sure that free software remains free. WordPress has been released under the GPLv2 license. That means it will continue to be freely available, and that its success depends on the cooperation of an active community instead of the staff of a single company. For more details, refer to What is the GPL? What is the Difference Between Free Software and Open Source Software?‘Open source’ is another term for software that can be studied, shared, and modified. It, too, is a movement, and its leading voice is the Open Source Initiative. They created the Open Source Definition, a ten-point description of what open source means. Many of its aims are similar to those of free software:
The aims of the two movements are similar, but their values are different. While free software is a social movement that promotes freedom, the open source movement promotes the business advantages of sharing source code. It recognizes that open-source software is an effective way for developers to collaborate. Open-source software uses a variety of licenses. For example, WordPress is released under the GPLv2, the Apache webserver software is released under an Apache license, and PHP is released under both the GPL and PHP license. WordPress is both free software and open-source software. Because there is a large overlap between the terms, the software is sometimes called FOSS (free and open-source software) or FLOSS (free/libre/open-source software). For more details, see What is Open Source? How Does WordPress Stay in Business If It Is Free?No single company or individual owns WordPress. It is an open-source community project where tens of thousands of talented people have made contributions to make it into the great software that it is today. There is a core team of developers who lead the project development, but anyone who values WordPress can contribute to its success. Those with programming skills can contribute patches and fix bugs, and users can suggest new features. But while the people behind WordPress don’t make money from the software, they can make money from WordPress-related services. For example, the WPBeginner team has developed several premium WordPress plugins that offer more advanced features for a subscription fee. To learn more, see Why is WordPress Free? What are the Costs? What is the Catch? We hope this article helped you learn more about free software. You may also want to see our Additional Reading list below for related articles on useful WordPress tips, tricks, and ideas. If you liked this guide, then please consider subscribing to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook. Additional Reading
Is free software really free?Free software is a matter of liberty, not price; all users are legally free to do what they want with their copies of a free software (including profiting from them) regardless of how much is paid to obtain the program.
What is an example of free license?In contrast, free software licenses are used for software that the user can copy, change, and redistribute. The GNU General Public Licence is an excellent example of this.
What does software license mean?A software license is a document that provides legally binding guidelines for the use and distribution of software. Software licenses typically provide end users with the right to one or more copies of the software without violating copyrights.
What is the difference between open and free software?In "Why Open Source Misses the Point of Free Software," Stallman explains: "The two terms describe almost the same category of software, but they stand for views based on fundamentally different values. Open source is a development methodology; free software is a social movement."
|
