The right to study and modify a computer program entails that source code-the preferred format for making changes-be made available to users of that program. Computer programs are deemed 'free' if they give end-users (not just the developer) ultimate control over the software and, subsequently, over their devices. Free software is a matter of liberty, not price all users are legally free to do what they want with their copies of a free software (including profiting from them) regardless of how much is paid to obtain the program. Shown are the GNOME desktop environment, the GNU Emacs text editor, the GIMP image editor, and the VLC media player.įree software or libre software is computer software distributed under terms that allow users to run the software for any purpose as well as to study, change, and distribute it and any adapted versions. An example of a GNU FSDG complying free-software operating system running some representative applications.
