As defined by Richard M. Stallman and used by the Free Software movement, this means software that gives users enough freedom to be used by the free software community. Specifically, users must be free to modify the software for their private use, and free to redistribute it either with or without modifications, either commercially or noncommercially, either gratis or charging a distribution fee. Free software has existed since the dawn of computing; Free Software as a movement began in 1984 with the GNU Project.
RMS observes that the English word free
can refer
either to liberty (where it means the same as the Spanish or French
libre
) or to price (where it means the same as the Spanish
gratis
or French gratuit
). RMS and other
people associated with the FSF like to explain the word free
in free software
by saying Free as in speech, not as
in beer.
See also open source. Hard-core proponents of
the term free software
sometimes reject this newer term,
claiming that the style of argument associated with it ignores or downplays
the moral imperative at the heart of free software.