Social and political movement advocating for user freedom in computing
Core Idea: The Free Software Movement is an activism initiative founded on the principle that software users should have the freedom to run, study, modify, and redistribute software, emphasizing ethical and social values over technical or economic benefits.
Key Elements
Four Essential Freedoms
- Freedom 0: Run the program for any purpose
- Freedom 1: Study and modify the source code
- Freedom 2: Redistribute exact copies
- Freedom 3: Distribute modified versions
Historical Development
- Founded by Richard Stallman in 1983
- GNU Project launched to create a free operating system
- Free Software Foundation (FSF) established in 1985
- GNU General Public License (GPL) created in 1989
- Linux kernel integration with GNU tools in early 1990s
- Expansion beyond operating systems to applications
- Development of copyleft as a licensing principle
- Spread to broader digital rights movements
Philosophical Foundation
- Software as knowledge that should be shared
- Opposition to proprietary software restrictions
- User autonomy and control over computing
- Community cooperation over corporate competition
- Technical freedom as a prerequisite for social freedom
- Rejection of digital restrictions management (DRM)
- Distinction between "free as in freedom" vs. "free as in price"
Key Organizations
- Free Software Foundation (FSF)
- GNU Project
- Software Freedom Conservancy
- Free Software Foundation Europe
- Free Software Law Center
- April (French free software organization)
- Software Freedom Day global events
Relationship to Open Source
- Open Source Initiative founded in 1998
- Pragmatic vs. ethical emphasis
- Compatibility in practice, divergence in philosophy
- Shared development methodologies
- Different messaging and outreach approaches
- "FOSS" (Free and Open Source Software) as bridging term
- Ongoing debates about terminology and priorities
Connections
- Related Concepts: Open Source Software (related movement), GNU/Linux (flagship implementation), Copyleft (legal innovation)
- Broader Context: Digital Rights (broader social movement), Commons-Based Peer Production (economic model)
- Applications: LibreOffice (application example), Free Software in Education (implementation context)
- Components: GPL License (legal tool), Free Software Community (social structure)
References
- Not specifically detailed in the provided source material
#FreeSoftware #DigitalRights #GNU #Stallman #FOSS #Freedom
Connections:
Sources:
- From: Open Source Software