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Philosophy of the GNU Project

This directory describes the philosophy of the Free Software Movement, which is the motivation for our development of the free software operating system GNU.

Table of Contents

We also keep a list of Organizations that Work for Freedom in Computer Development and Electronic Communications.

About Free Software

Free software is a matter of freedom: people should be free to use software in all the ways that are socially useful. Software differs from material objects--such as chairs, sandwiches, and gasoline--in that it can be copied and changed much more easily. These possibilities make software as useful as it is; we believe software users should be able to make use of them.

About the GNU Project

Licensing Free Software

Laws and Issues

Terminology and Definitions

Upholding Software Freedom

GIFs

Motivation

Speeches and Interviews (in reverse chronological order)

Third Party Ideas

These articles give other people's philosophical opinions in support of free software, or related issues, and don't speak for the GNU project -- but we more or less agree with them.

Many of the Organizations that Work for Freedom in Computer Development and Electronic Communications also have philosophical opinions in support of free software, or related issues.

Miscellaneous

Translations of These Documents

 

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