Editor’s Note
The waning days of the 20th century seemed like an Orwellian nightmare: laws
preventing publication of scientific research on software; laws preventing sharing
software; an overabundance of software patents preventing development; and enduser
license agreements that strip the user of all freedoms—including ownership,
privacy, sharing, and understanding how their software works. This collection of
essays and speeches by Richard M. Stallman addresses many of these issues. Above
all, Stallman discusses the philosophy underlying the free software movement. This
movement combats the oppression of federal laws and evil end-user license agreements
in hopes of spreading the idea of software freedom.
With the force of hundreds of thousands of developers working to create GNU
software and the GNU/Linux operating system, free software has secured a spot on
the servers that control the Internet, and—as it moves into the desktop computer
market—is a threat to Microsoft and other proprietary software companies.
These essays cater to a wide audience; you do not need a computer science background
to understand the philosophy and ideas herein. However, there is a “Note on
Software,” to help the less technically inclined reader become familiar with some
common computer science jargon and concepts, as well as footnotes throughout.
Also it is important to note that many of the essays have been updated and
revised from their originally published versions. And since every chapter has a
verbatim copying notice on it, you are free to make and distribute copies of the
text.
FreeSoftware,FreeSociety:
SelectedEssaysofRichard M.Stallman
Introductionby LawrenceLessig
Editedby Joshua Gay
GNU Press
www.gnupress.org
FreeSoftwareFoundation
Boston,MA USA
Firstprinting,firstedition.
Copyright© 2002 FreeSoftwareFoundation,Inc.
ISBN1-882114-98-1
Publishedby theFreeSoftwareFoundation
59 TemplePlace
Boston,MA Tel:1-617-542-5942
Fax:1-617-542-2652
Email:gnu@gnu.org
Web:www.gnu.org
GNU PressisanimprintoftheFSF.
Email:press@gnu.org
Web:www.gnupress.org
PleasecontacttheGNU Pressforinformationregardingbulk purchasesforclass-
roomorusergroupuse,reselling,orany otherquestionsorcomments.
Originalartworkby EtienneSuvasa.Coverdesignby JonathanRichard.
Permissionisgrantedtomakeanddistributeverbatimcopiesofthisbook provided
thecopyrightnoticeandthispermissionnoticearepreserved on allcopies.
Permissionisgrantedtocopy and distributemodifiedversionsofthisbook under
theconditionsforverbatimcopying
Permissionisgrantedtocopy and distributetranslationsofthisbook intoanother
language,fromtheoriginalEnglish,withrespecttotheconditionson distribution
ofmodifiedversionsabove,providedthatithasbeenapprovedbytheFreeSoftware
Foundation.
i
ShortContents
Editor'sNote................................................1
A Noteon Software.......................................... 3
TopicGuide ................................................ 7
Introduction................................................ 9
SectionOne ............................................... 13
1 TheGNU Project....................................... 15
2 TheGNU Manifesto.....................................31
3 FreeSoftwareDe®nition ................................. 41
4 Why SoftwareShouldNotHaveOwners.....................45
5 What'sin a Name?......................................51
6 Why “FreeSoftware”isBetterthan“OpenSource”............55
7 ReleasingFreeSoftwareifYou Workata University...........61
8 SellingFreeSoftware....................................63
9 FreeSoftwareNeedsFreeDocumentation....................67
10 FreeSoftwareSong..................................... 69
SectionTwo ............................................... 71
11 TheRighttoRead.......................................73
12 MisinterpretingCopyright—ASeriesofErrors................77
13 ScienceMust`Push'CopyrightAside.......................87
14 WhatisCopyleft?.......................................89
15 Copyleft:PragmaticIdealism..............................91
16 TheDangerofSoftwarePatents............................95
SectionThree............................................. 113
17 CanYou TrustYourComputer?...........................115
18 Why SoftwareShouldBeFree............................119
19 CopyrightandGlobalizationin theAgeofComputerNetworks..133
20 FreeSoftware:FreedomandCooperation...................155
21 WordstoAvoid........................................187
SectionFour..............................................193
GNU GeneralPublicLicense.................................195
GNU LesserGeneralPublicLicense...........................203
ii FreeSoftware,FreeSociety:SelectedEssaysofRichardM.Stallman
GNU FreeDocumentationLicense............................ 213
iii
Table ofContents
Editor'sNote............................................ 1
A Noteon Software......................................3
Topic Guide ............................................. 7
Introduction.............................................9
SectionOne ............................................ 13
1 TheGNU Project................................... 15
2 TheGNU Manifesto................................ 31
3 FreeSoftwareDefinition............................ 41
4 Why SoftwareShould NotHaveOwners............45
5 What'sin a Name?..................................51
6 Why “FreeSoftware”isBetterthan“OpenSource”
....................................................55
7 ReleasingFreeSoftwareifYou Work ata University
....................................................61
8 SellingFreeSoftware............................... 63
9 Fre...