Free software movement: Difference between revisions

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The '''Free Software Movement''' is a movement that aims to create and distribute software that is ''free'' in all sense of the word, not just monetarily. The movement was formally initiated by [[Richard Stallman]] in 1983 with the creation of the [[GNU Project]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stallman |first=Richard |date=1983 |title=Initial Announcement |url=https://www.gnu.org/gnu/initial-announcement.html}}</ref>

The '''Free Software Movement''' is a movement that aims to create and distribute software that is ''free'' in all sense of the word, not just monetarily. The movement was formally initiated by [[Richard Stallman]] in 1983 with the creation of the [[GNU Project]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stallman |first=Richard |date=1983 |title=Initial Announcement |url=https://www.gnu.org/gnu/initial-announcement.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260124140738/https://www.gnu.org/gnu/initial-announcement.html |archive-date=24 Jan 2026}}</ref>

==How it works==

Creating free software means creating software that ''"the user has the freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change, and improve [...]."''<ref>{{Cite web |last=The GNU project |date=2024-01-01 |title=What is free software ? |url=https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html}}</ref> This means that the source code must be available. This is in contrast with most commercial software that hides its real mechanisms from the user.

Creating free software means creating software that ''"the user has the freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change, and improve [...]."''<ref>{{Cite web |last=The GNU project |date=2024-01-01 |title=What is free software ? |url=https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260128112500/http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html |archive-date=28 Jan 2026}}</ref> This means that the source code must be available. This is in contrast with most commercial software that hides its real mechanisms from the user.

==Why it is beneficial==

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-The '''Free Software Movement''' is a movement that aims to create and distribute software that is ''free'' in all sense of the word, not just monetarily. The movement was formally initiated by [[Richard Stallman]] in 1983 with the creation of the [[GNU Project]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stallman |first=Richard |date=1983 |title=Initial Announcement |url=https://www.gnu.org/gnu/initial-announcement.html}}</ref>
+The '''Free Software Movement''' is a movement that aims to create and distribute software that is ''free'' in all sense of the word, not just monetarily. The movement was formally initiated by [[Richard Stallman]] in 1983 with the creation of the [[GNU Project]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stallman |first=Richard |date=1983 |title=Initial Announcement |url=https://www.gnu.org/gnu/initial-announcement.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260124140738/https://www.gnu.org/gnu/initial-announcement.html |archive-date=24 Jan 2026}}</ref>
 ==How it works==
 {{See also|right to own}}
-Creating free software means creating software that ''"the user has the freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change, and improve [...]."''<ref>{{Cite web |last=The GNU project |date=2024-01-01 |title=What is free software ? |url=https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html}}</ref> This means that the source code must be available. This is in contrast with most commercial software that hides its real mechanisms from the user.
+Creating free software means creating software that ''"the user has the freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change, and improve [...]."''<ref>{{Cite web |last=The GNU project |date=2024-01-01 |title=What is free software ? |url=https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260128112500/http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html |archive-date=28 Jan 2026}}</ref> This means that the source code must be available. This is in contrast with most commercial software that hides its real mechanisms from the user.
 ==Why it is beneficial==