Free software is a matter of liberty, not price — Free Software Foundation

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} #fsf-modal-window-elem-buttons a { width: 100%; display: block; text-align: center; font-size: 35px; color: #fff; /* Text */ text-decoration: none; font-family: sans-serif,"Helvetica",Arial; font-weight: normal; } #fsf-modal-window-elem-maybe-later { margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: -5px; } #fsf-modal-window-elem-maybe-later a { color: #367c93; /* Text */ line-height: 20px; text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer; font-weight: normal; font-family: sans-serif,"Helvetica",Arial; font-size: 16px; } #fsf-modal-window-elem-text a { color: #fdd538; /* Text */ font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; } #fsf-modal-window-elem-text p { font-family: sans-serif,"Helvetica",Arial; font-size: 17px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px; line-height: 20px; color: #fff; /* Text */ } </style> <div id="fsf-modal-window-elem-container" style="display: none;"> <div id="fsf-modal-window-elem-outer-v-center"> <div id="fsf-modal-window-elem-inner-v-center"> <div id="fsf-modal-window-elem"> <div id="fsf-modal-window-elem-header"> <div id="fsf-modal-window-elem-close-button" onclick="//fsfModalWindowElemDontShowForAWhile();"> <i class="fa fa-close"></i> </div> <h2>Technological freedom is important more than ever!</h2> </div> <div id="fsf-modal-window-elem-left-column"> <div id="fsf-modal-window-elem-text"> <p> Please take thirty seconds to read this: free software makes up the building blocks to anything. You can use it to tailor programs that work for you, combine things as you wish, and share these building blocks with others. This is why the FSF has published and promoted free software licenses since 1985, sponsors the GNU System, and tirelessly campaigns for free software adoption. </p> <p> Powered by member dues and donations, the FSF can only continue to be the cornerstone of a more just digital society with your support. Build a better world with us by matching the average donation of USD $46.22. </p> <p><span id="fsf-modal-window-text-link"><a href="https://my.fsf.org/donate?mtm_campaign=fall24&mtm_source=modal">Donate</a> | <a href="https://www.fsf.org/appeal?mtm_campaign=fall24&mtm_source=modal">Read more</a></span></p> </div> </div> <div id="fsf-modal-window-elem-right-column">  <div id="fsf-modal-window-elem-buttons" style="border-radius: 20px;box-shadow: 5px 0 5px -6px #0c2b2b, -5px 0 5px -6px #0c2b2b;"> <div class="join" style="background-color:#3498DB; border-top-right-radius: 20px; border-top-left-radius: 20px;"> <a style="color:#fdd538;text-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #2670a1;" href="https://my.fsf.org/join?mtm_campaign=fall24&mtm_source=modal" onclick="//fsfModalWindowElemFollowedLink();"> <i class="fa fa-check-circle"> </i>Join </a> </div> <div class="renew" style="background-color:#2ecc71;"> <a style="color: #FFF;text-shadow: 0px 0px 8px #219452;" href="https://my.fsf.org/renew?mtm_campaign=fall24&mtm_source=modal" onclick="//fsfModalWindowElemFollowedLink();"> <i class="fa fa-refresh"> </i>Renew </a> </div> <div class="donate" style="background-color:#1abc9c; border-bottom-right-radius: 20px; border-bottom-left-radius: 20px; margin-bottom: 2px"> <a style="text-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #138c74;" href="https://my.fsf.org/donate?mtm_campaign=fall24&mtm_source=modal" onclick="//fsfModalWindowElemFollowedLink();"> <i class="fa fa-money"> </i>Donate </a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <script> // @license magnet:?xt=urn:btih:1f739d935676111cfff4b4693e3816e664797050&dn=gpl-3.0.txt GPL-3.0 // Licensed GPL-3.0-or-later by Andrew Engelbrecht. var startTime, endTime, switchTextTime; startTime = new Date('2024-06-08T04:00:00Z'); switchTextTime = new Date('2024-07-30T04:00:00Z'); // Turning this off for now. // endTime is unused. // endTime = new Date('2024-07-29T04:00:00Z'); // Possibly switch the text that is displayed in the modal window, depending // upon the current date. function fsfModalWindowElemMaybeSwitchText () { var now; now = new Date(); if (now.getTime() < switchTextTime.getTime()) { return; // Do not switch the text. } // Switch text document.getElementById("fsf-modal-window-elem-text").innerHTML =' \ \ <p>Please take thirty seconds to read this: free software makes up the building blocks to anything. You can use it to tailor programs that work for you, combine things as you wish, and share these building blocks with others. This is why the FSF has published and promoted free software licenses since 1985, sponsors the GNU System, and tirelessly campaigns for free software adoption.<\/p> \ \ <p>Powered by member dues and donations, the FSF can only continue to be the cornerstone of a more just digital society with your support. Build a better world with us by matching the average donation of USD \$46.22.<\/p> \ \ <p><span id="fsf-modal-window-text-link"><a href="https://my.fsf.org/donate?mtm_campaign=fall24&mtm_source=modal">Donate<\/a> | <a href="https://www.fsf.org/appeal?mtm_campaign=fall24&mtm_source=modal">Read more<\/a><\/span><\/p>'; } // Show fsf-modal-window-elem if it has not been previously closed by the user, // nor recently hit "maybe later", and the campaign is still happening. function fsfModalWindowElemMaybeShow () { var pattern, noShowFsfModalWindowElementP, now; // See if cookie says not to show element pattern = /showFsf202406FundraiserModalWindowElementP\s*=\s*false/; noShowFsfModalWindowElementP = pattern.test(document.cookie); // Uncomment here to enable modal window hiding if (!noShowFsfModalWindowElementP) { setTimeout(function () { // display the element document.getElementById("fsf-modal-window-elem-container").style.display="block"; }, 0); } } // Call this first to set the proper text. fsfModalWindowElemMaybeSwitchText(); 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}); // Disable popup if user clicks one of the "Read more" link. document.getElementById("fsf-modal-window-text-link").addEventListener("click", function(event){ fsfModalWindowElemFollowedLink(); }); // Close popup if user presses escape key. window.addEventListener("keydown", function (event) { switch (event.key) { case "Escape": fsfModalWindowElemDontShowForAWhile(); break; default: return; } }, true); // @license-end </script> </div>  <div id="coolio"> <p class="onlyMobile"><a tabindex="1" href="#content">Skip to content</a>, <a tabindex="2" href="/sitemap#content">sitemap</a> or <a tabindex="3" href="/search_form#content">skip to search</a>.</p> <div id="hd" style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 6px;" class="custom-doc visualNoPrint"> <header> <a href="/"> <img id="fsf-logo" style="position: absolute; bottom: 0px;" src="//static.fsf.org/common/img/logo-new.png" /> </a> <div id="portal-personaltools-wrapper"> <div id="fsf-custom"> <h5 class="hiddenStructure">Personal tools</h5> <ul id="portal-personaltools"> <li> <a href="https://my.fsf.org/civicrm/member-dashboard" id="personaltools-login">Log in</a> </li> <li> <a href="http://www.fsf.org/help-menu" id="personaltools-login-problems">Help!</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.fsf.org/associate/about-the-members-forum" id="personaltools-forum-promo">Members forum</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> <a href="//fsf.org/jfb"> <img id="join-button" src="//static.fsf.org/nosvn/join.en.png" alt="Join now" style="float: right;" /> </a> </header> </div> <div class="yui-g" id="fsf-nav"> <div class="navi"> <div> <div class="custom-doc"> <nav> <ul class="main-nav navigation"> <li><a href="/about/" title="">About</a></li> <li><a href="/campaigns/" title="">Campaigns</a></li> <li><a href="/licensing/" title="">Licensing</a></li> <li><a href="/associate/" title="">Membership</a></li> <li><a href="/resources/" title="">Resources</a></li> <li><a href="/community/" title="">Community</a></li> <li><a href="/donate/" title="">♥Donate♥</a></li> <li><a href="//shop.fsf.org/" title="">Shop</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.fsf.org/@@search" class="search-link"><span class="link-text">Search</span><span class="search-icon"></span></a></li> </ul> </nav> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="custom-doc yui-t5"> <div id="bd"><div id="yui-main"> <div class="yui-g"><div class="yui-b"> <div id="portal-column-content" class="cell width-3:4 position-0"> <div id="viewlet-above-content"><div id="portal-breadcrumbs"> <span id="breadcrumbs-you-are-here">You are here:</span> <span id="breadcrumbs-home"> <a href="https://www.fsf.org">Home</a> <span class="breadcrumbSeparator"> &rsaquo; </span> </span> <span id="breadcrumbs-1" dir="ltr"> <span id="breadcrumbs-current">About</span> </span> </div> </div> <div class=""> <dl class="portalMessage info" id="kssPortalMessage" style="display:none"> <dt>Info</dt> <dd></dd> </dl> <article> <div id="content"> <h2 id="intro-text"> <span class="" id="parent-fieldname-description-5093cb4d5dd51694869f252d3d6f8330"> The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a nonprofit with a worldwide mission to promote computer user freedom. We defend the rights of all software users. </span> </h2> <div class="" id="parent-fieldname-text-5093cb4d5dd51694869f252d3d6f8330"> <p><i>Read this page in <a href="https://www.fsf.org/es/about">Spanish</a> or in <a href="https://www.fsf.org/it/il-software-libero-e-una-questione-di-liberta-non-di-prezzo">Italian</a>.</i></p> <p> As our society grows more dependent on computers, the software we run is of critical importance to securing the future of a free society. <a href="https://www.fsf.org/about/what-is-free-software">Free software</a> is about having control over the technology we use in our homes, schools and businesses, where computers work for our individual and communal benefit, not for proprietary software companies or governments who might seek to restrict and monitor us. The Free Software Foundation <b>exclusively uses free software</b> to perform its work.</p> <p>The Free Software Foundation is working to secure freedom for computer users by promoting the development and use of free (as in freedom) software and documentation—particularly the <a href="https://gnu.org">GNU operating system</a>—and by <a href="/campaigns">campaigning</a> against threats to computer user freedom like Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) and software patents.</p> <p class="pullquote visualNoPrint">The free software movement is one of the most successful social movements to arise from computing culture, driven by a worldwide community of ethical programmers dedicated to the cause of freedom and sharing. But the ultimate success of the free software movement depends upon teaching our friends, neighbors and work colleagues about the danger of not having software freedom, about the danger of a society losing control over its computing.</p> <h4>Our Core Work</h4> <p>The FSF maintains historic articles covering <a href="https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/philosophy.html">free software philosophy</a> and maintains the <a href="https://www.fsf.org/licensing/essays/free-sw.html">Free Software Definition</a>—to show clearly what must be true about a particular software program for it to be considered free software.</p> <p>The FSF sponsors the <a href="https://www.gnu.org/">GNU Project</a>—the ongoing effort to provide a complete operating system licensed as free software. We also fund and promote important free software development and provide development systems for GNU software maintainers, including full email and shell services and mailing lists. We are committed to furthering the development of the GNU Operating System and enabling volunteers to easily contribute to that work, including sponsoring <a href="https://savannah.gnu.org/">Savannah</a> the source code repository and center for free software development.</p> <p>The FSF holds copyright on a large proportion of the GNU operating system, and other free software. We hold these assets to defend free software from efforts to turn free software proprietary. Every year we collect thousands of copyright assignments from individual software developers and corporations working on free software. We register these copyrights with the US copyright office and enforce the license under which we distribute free software — typically the GNU General Public License. We do this to ensure that free software distributors respect their obligations to pass on the freedom to all users, to share, study and modify the code. We do this work through our <a href="https://www.fsf.org/licensing">Free Software Licensing and Compliance Lab</a>.</p> <p>The FSF publishes the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL), the world's most popular free software license, and the only license written with the express purpose of promoting and preserving software freedom. Other important licenses we publish include the GNU Lesser General Public License (GNU LGPL), the GNU Affero General Public License (GNU AGPL) and the GNU Free Document License (GNU FDL). Read more about our <a href="https://www.fsf.org/licensing/education">free software licensing and related issues</a>.</p> <p>The FSF campaigns for free software adoption and against proprietary software. Threats to free software include Digital Restrictions Management (DRM), Software Patents and Treacherous Computing. Find out more about our <a href="https://www.fsf.org/campaigns">campaigns</a>, and ways to <a href="https://www.fsf.org/volunteer">volunteer</a>.</p> <p>The FSF also provides important <a href="https://www.fsf.org/resources/">resources</a> to the community including the FSF/UNESCO <a href="https://directory.fsf.org/">free software directory.</a></p> <h4>Support Our Mission</h4> <p>The most important support you can give to free software is to use free software on your own computer and advocate within your business or community for others to adopt it. 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