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The Free Software Foundation ( FSF) is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization founded by Richard Stallman [ 6] on October 4, 1985, to support the free software movement, with the organization's preference for software being distributed under copyleft ("share alike") terms, [ 7] such as with its own GNU General Public License. [ 8]
gnu.org. GNU ( / ɡnuː / ⓘ) [ 3][ 4] is an extensive collection of free software (394 packages as of June 2024 [ 5] ), which can be used as an operating system or can be used in parts with other operating systems. [ 6][ 7][ 8] The use of the completed GNU tools led to the family of operating systems popularly known as Linux. [ 9] Most of GNU ...
The Open Source Initiative (OSI) is one such organization keeping a list of open-source licenses. [ 1] The Free Software Foundation (FSF) maintains a list of what it considers free. [ 2] FSF's free software and OSI's open-source licenses together are called FOSS licenses. There are licenses accepted by the OSI which are not free as per the Free ...
Referring to the complete system as simply "Linux" is common usage. However, the Free Software Foundation, and many others, advocate the use of the term "GNU/Linux", saying that it is a more accurate name for the whole operating system. [36] Linux adoption grew among businesses and governments in the 1990s and 2000s.
Software development for the GNU operating system began in January 1984, and the Free Software Foundation (FSF) was founded in October 1985. An article outlining the project and its goals was published in March 1985 titled the GNU Manifesto .
The GNU Free Documentation License (GNU FDL or GFDL) is a copyleft license for free documentation, designed by the Free Software Foundation (FSF) for the GNU Project.It is similar to the GNU General Public License, giving readers the rights to copy, redistribute, and modify (except for "invariant sections") a work and requires all copies and derivatives to be available under the same license.
The Free Software Foundation prefers copyleft (share-alike) free-software licensing rather than permissive free-software licensing for most purposes. Its list distinguishes between free-software licenses that are compatible or incompatible with the FSF's copyleft GNU General Public License .
"Free and open-source software" (FOSS) is an umbrella term for software that is simultaneously considered both free software and open-source software. [5] The precise definition of the terms "free software" and "open-source software" applies them to any software distributed under terms that allow users to use, modify, and redistribute said software in any manner they see fit, without requiring ...