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Thanks to your support, 2015 marks 30 ye ars of the FSF! In the next 30 years, we want to do
evenmoretodefendcomputeruserrights.Tokickoffinthatdirection,we'resettingourhighestever
fundraisinggoalof$525,000byJanuary31st.Readmore.
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$525K

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TheGNUManifesto
TheGNUManifesto(whichappearsbelow)waswrittenbyRichardStallmanatthebeginningoftheGNUProject,
toaskforparticipationandsupport.Forthefirstfewyears,itwasupdatedinminorwaystoaccountfor
developments,butnowitseemsbesttoleaveitunchangedasmostpeoplehaveseenit.
Sincethattime,wehavelearnedaboutcertaincommonmisunderstandingsthatdifferentwordingcouldhelpavoid.
Footnotesaddedsince1993helpclarifythesepoints.
ForuptodateinformationabouttheavailableGNUsoftware,pleaseseetheinformationavailableonourweb
server,inparticularourlistofsoftware.Forhowtocontribute,seehttp://www.gnu.org/help/help.html.

What'sGNU?Gnu'sNotUnix!
GNU,whichstandsforGnu'sNotUnix,isthenameforthecompleteUnixcompatiblesoftwaresystemwhichIam
writingsothatIcangiveitawayfreetoeveryonewhocanuseit.(1)Severalothervolunteersarehelpingme.
Contributionsoftime,money,programsandequipmentaregreatlyneeded.
SofarwehaveanEmacstexteditorwithLispforwritingeditorcommands,asourceleveldebugger,ayacc
compatibleparsergenerator,alinker,andaround35utilities.Ashell(commandinterpreter)isnearlycompleted.A
newportableoptimizingCcompilerhascompileditselfandmaybereleasedthisyear.Aninitialkernelexistsbut
manymorefeaturesareneededtoemulateUnix.Whenthekernelandcompilerarefinished,itwillbepossibleto
distributeaGNUsystemsuitableforprogramdevelopment.WewilluseTeXasourtextformatter,butannroffis
beingworkedon.Wewillusethefree,portableXWindowSystemaswell.Afterthiswewilladdaportable
CommonLisp,anEmpiregame,aspreadsheet,andhundredsofotherthings,plusonlinedocumentation.Wehope
tosupply,eventually,everythingusefulthatnormallycomeswithaUnixsystem,andmore.
GNUwillbeabletorunUnixprograms,butwillnotbeidenticaltoUnix.Wewillmakeallimprovementsthatare
convenient,basedonourexperiencewithotheroperatingsystems.Inparticular,weplantohavelongerfilenames,
fileversionnumbers,acrashprooffilesystem,filenamecompletionperhaps,terminalindependentdisplaysupport,
andperhapseventuallyaLispbasedwindowsystemthroughwhichseveralLispprogramsandordinaryUnix
programscanshareascreen.BothCandLispwillbeavailableassystemprogramminglanguages.Wewilltryto
supportUUCP,MITChaosnet,andInternetprotocolsforcommunication.
GNUisaimedinitiallyatmachinesinthe68000/16000classwithvirtualmemory,becausetheyaretheeasiest
machinestomakeitrunon.Theextraefforttomakeitrunonsmallermachineswillbelefttosomeonewhowants
touseitonthem.
Toavoidhorribleconfusion,pleasepronouncetheginthewordGNUwhenitisthenameofthisproject.

WhyIMustWriteGNU
IconsiderthattheGoldenRulerequiresthatifIlikeaprogramImustshareitwithotherpeoplewholikeit.
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Softwaresellerswanttodividetheusersandconquerthem,makingeachuseragreenottosharewithothers.I
refusetobreaksolidaritywithotherusersinthisway.Icannotingoodconsciencesignanondisclosureagreement
orasoftwarelicenseagreement.ForyearsIworkedwithintheArtificialIntelligenceLabtoresistsuchtendencies
andotherinhospitalities,buteventuallytheyhadgonetoofar:Icouldnotremaininaninstitutionwheresuchthings
aredoneformeagainstmywill.
SothatIcancontinuetousecomputerswithoutdishonor,Ihavedecidedtoputtogetherasufficientbodyoffree
softwaresothatIwillbeabletogetalongwithoutanysoftwarethatisnotfree.IhaveresignedfromtheAILabto
denyMITanylegalexcusetopreventmefromgivingGNUaway.(2)

WhyGNUWillBeCompatiblewithUnix
Unixisnotmyidealsystem,butitisnottoobad.TheessentialfeaturesofUnixseemtobegoodones,andIthinkI
canfillinwhatUnixlackswithoutspoilingthem.AndasystemcompatiblewithUnixwouldbeconvenientformany
otherpeopletoadopt.

HowGNUWillBeAvailable
GNUisnotinthepublicdomain.EveryonewillbepermittedtomodifyandredistributeGNU,butnodistributorwill
beallowedtorestrictitsfurtherredistribution.Thatistosay,proprietarymodificationswillnotbeallowed.Iwantto
makesurethatallversionsofGNUremainfree.

WhyManyOtherProgrammersWanttoHelp
IhavefoundmanyotherprogrammerswhoareexcitedaboutGNUandwanttohelp.
Manyprogrammersareunhappyaboutthecommercializationofsystemsoftware.Itmayenablethemtomake
moremoney,butitrequiresthemtofeelinconflictwithotherprogrammersingeneralratherthanfeelascomrades.
Thefundamentalactoffriendshipamongprogrammersisthesharingofprogramsmarketingarrangementsnow
typicallyusedessentiallyforbidprogrammerstotreatothersasfriends.Thepurchaserofsoftwaremustchoose
betweenfriendshipandobeyingthelaw.Naturally,manydecidethatfriendshipismoreimportant.Butthosewho
believeinlawoftendonotfeelateasewitheitherchoice.Theybecomecynicalandthinkthatprogrammingisjust
awayofmakingmoney.
ByworkingonandusingGNUratherthanproprietaryprograms,wecanbehospitabletoeveryoneandobeythe
law.Inaddition,GNUservesasanexampletoinspireandabannertorallyotherstojoinusinsharing.Thiscan
giveusafeelingofharmonywhichisimpossibleifweusesoftwarethatisnotfree.Forabouthalfthe
programmersItalkto,thisisanimportanthappinessthatmoneycannotreplace.

HowYouCanContribute
(Nowadays,forsoftwaretaskstoworkon,seetheHighPriorityProjectslistandtheGNUHelp
Wantedlist,thegeneraltasklistforGNUsoftwarepackages.Forotherwaystohelp,seetheguideto
helpingtheGNUoperatingsystem.)
Iamaskingcomputermanufacturersfordonationsofmachinesandmoney.I'maskingindividualsfordonationsof
programsandwork.
OneconsequenceyoucanexpectifyoudonatemachinesisthatGNUwillrunonthematanearlydate.The
machinesshouldbecomplete,readytousesystems,approvedforuseinaresidentialarea,andnotinneedof
sophisticatedcoolingorpower.
IhavefoundverymanyprogrammerseagertocontributeparttimeworkforGNU.Formostprojects,suchpart
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timedistributedworkwouldbeveryhardtocoordinatetheindependentlywrittenpartswouldnotworktogether.
ButfortheparticulartaskofreplacingUnix,thisproblemisabsent.AcompleteUnixsystemcontainshundredsof
utilityprograms,eachofwhichisdocumentedseparately.MostinterfacespecificationsarefixedbyUnix
compatibility.IfeachcontributorcanwriteacompatiblereplacementforasingleUnixutility,andmakeitwork
properlyinplaceoftheoriginalonaUnixsystem,thentheseutilitieswillworkrightwhenputtogether.Even
allowingforMurphytocreateafewunexpectedproblems,assemblingthesecomponentswillbeafeasibletask.
(Thekernelwillrequireclosercommunicationandwillbeworkedonbyasmall,tightgroup.)
IfIgetdonationsofmoney,Imaybeabletohireafewpeoplefullorparttime.Thesalarywon'tbehighby
programmers'standards,butI'mlookingforpeopleforwhombuildingcommunityspiritisasimportantasmaking
money.IviewthisasawayofenablingdedicatedpeopletodevotetheirfullenergiestoworkingonGNUby
sparingthemtheneedtomakealivinginanotherway.

WhyAllComputerUsersWillBenefit
OnceGNUiswritten,everyonewillbeabletoobtaingoodsystemsoftwarefree,justlikeair.(3)
ThismeansmuchmorethanjustsavingeveryonethepriceofaUnixlicense.Itmeansthatmuchwasteful
duplicationofsystemprogrammingeffortwillbeavoided.Thiseffortcangoinsteadintoadvancingthestateofthe
art.
Completesystemsourceswillbeavailabletoeveryone.Asaresult,auserwhoneedschangesinthesystemwill
alwaysbefreetomakethemhimself,orhireanyavailableprogrammerorcompanytomakethemforhim.Users
willnolongerbeatthemercyofoneprogrammerorcompanywhichownsthesourcesandisinsolepositionto
makechanges.
Schoolswillbeabletoprovideamuchmoreeducationalenvironmentbyencouragingallstudentstostudyand
improvethesystemcode.Harvard'scomputerlabusedtohavethepolicythatnoprogramcouldbeinstalledonthe
systemifitssourceswerenotonpublicdisplay,anduphelditbyactuallyrefusingtoinstallcertainprograms.Iwas
verymuchinspiredbythis.
Finally,theoverheadofconsideringwhoownsthesystemsoftwareandwhatoneisorisnotentitledtodowithit
willbelifted.
Arrangementstomakepeoplepayforusingaprogram,includinglicensingofcopies,alwaysincuratremendous
costtosocietythroughthecumbersomemechanismsnecessarytofigureouthowmuch(thatis,whichprograms)a
personmustpayfor.Andonlyapolicestatecanforceeveryonetoobeythem.Consideraspacestationwhereair
mustbemanufacturedatgreatcost:chargingeachbreatherperliterofairmaybefair,butwearingthemetered
gasmaskalldayandallnightisintolerableevenifeveryonecanaffordtopaytheairbill.AndtheTVcameras
everywheretoseeifyouevertakethemaskoffareoutrageous.It'sbettertosupporttheairplantwithaheadtax
andchuckthemasks.
Copyingallorpartsofaprogramisasnaturaltoaprogrammerasbreathing,andasproductive.Itoughttobeas
free.

SomeEasilyRebuttedObjectionstoGNU'sGoals
Nobodywilluse itifitisfre e ,be cause thatme ansthe ycan'tre lyonanysupport.
Youhave tocharge forthe programtopayforprovidingthe support.
IfpeoplewouldratherpayforGNUplusservicethangetGNUfreewithoutservice,acompanytoprovidejust
servicetopeoplewhohaveobtainedGNUfreeoughttobeprofitable.(4)
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Wemustdistinguishbetweensupportintheformofrealprogrammingworkandmerehandholding.Theformeris
somethingonecannotrelyonfromasoftwarevendor.Ifyourproblemisnotsharedbyenoughpeople,thevendor
willtellyoutogetlost.
Ifyourbusinessneedstobeabletorelyonsupport,theonlywayistohaveallthenecessarysourcesandtools.
Thenyoucanhireanyavailablepersontofixyourproblemyouarenotatthemercyofanyindividual.WithUnix,
thepriceofsourcesputsthisoutofconsiderationformostbusinesses.WithGNUthiswillbeeasy.Itisstill
possiblefortheretobenoavailablecompetentperson,butthisproblemcannotbeblamedondistribution
arrangements.GNUdoesnoteliminatealltheworld'sproblems,onlysomeofthem.
Meanwhile,theuserswhoknownothingaboutcomputersneedhandholding:doingthingsforthemwhichtheycould
easilydothemselvesbutdon'tknowhow.
Suchservicescouldbeprovidedbycompaniesthatselljusthandholdingandrepairservice.Ifitistruethatusers
wouldratherspendmoneyandgetaproductwithservice,theywillalsobewillingtobuytheservicehavinggotthe
productfree.Theservicecompanieswillcompeteinqualityandpriceuserswillnotbetiedtoanyparticularone.
Meanwhile,thoseofuswhodon'tneedtheserviceshouldbeabletousetheprogramwithoutpayingforthe
service.
Youcannotre achmanype ople withoutadve rtising,andyoumustcharge forthe programtosupport
that.
It'snouse adve rtisingaprogrampe ople cange tfre e .
Therearevariousformsoffreeorverycheappublicitythatcanbeusedtoinformnumbersofcomputerusers
aboutsomethinglikeGNU.Butitmaybetruethatonecanreachmoremicrocomputeruserswithadvertising.If
thisisreallyso,abusinesswhichadvertisestheserviceofcopyingandmailingGNUforafeeoughttobe
successfulenoughtopayforitsadvertisingandmore.Thisway,onlytheuserswhobenefitfromtheadvertising
payforit.
Ontheotherhand,ifmanypeoplegetGNUfromtheirfriends,andsuchcompaniesdon'tsucceed,thiswillshow
thatadvertisingwasnotreallynecessarytospreadGNU.Whyisitthatfreemarketadvocatesdon'twanttoletthe
freemarketdecidethis?(5)
Mycompanyne e dsaproprie taryope ratingsyste mtoge tacompe titive e dge .
GNUwillremoveoperatingsystemsoftwarefromtherealmofcompetition.Youwillnotbeabletogetanedgein
thisarea,butneitherwillyourcompetitorsbeabletogetanedgeoveryou.Youandtheywillcompeteinother
areas,whilebenefitingmutuallyinthisone.Ifyourbusinessissellinganoperatingsystem,youwillnotlikeGNU,
butthat'stoughonyou.Ifyourbusinessissomethingelse,GNUcansaveyoufrombeingpushedintotheexpensive
businessofsellingoperatingsystems.
IwouldliketoseeGNUdevelopmentsupportedbygiftsfrommanymanufacturersandusers,reducingthecostto
each.(6)
Don'tprogramme rsde se rve are wardforthe ircre ativity?
Ifanythingdeservesareward,itissocialcontribution.Creativitycanbeasocialcontribution,butonlyinsofaras
societyisfreetousetheresults.Ifprogrammersdeservetoberewardedforcreatinginnovativeprograms,bythe
sametokentheydeservetobepunishediftheyrestricttheuseoftheseprograms.
Shouldn'taprogramme rbe able toaskforare wardforhiscre ativity?
Thereisnothingwrongwithwantingpayforwork,orseekingtomaximizeone'sincome,aslongasonedoesnot
usemeansthataredestructive.Butthemeanscustomaryinthefieldofsoftwaretodayarebasedondestruction.
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Extractingmoneyfromusersofaprogrambyrestrictingtheiruseofitisdestructivebecausetherestrictions
reducetheamountandthewaysthattheprogramcanbeused.Thisreducestheamountofwealththathumanity
derivesfromtheprogram.Whenthereisadeliberatechoicetorestrict,theharmfulconsequencesaredeliberate
destruction.
Thereasonagoodcitizendoesnotusesuchdestructivemeanstobecomewealthieristhat,ifeveryonedidso,we
wouldallbecomepoorerfromthemutualdestructiveness.ThisisKantianethicsor,theGoldenRule.SinceIdo
notliketheconsequencesthatresultifeveryonehoardsinformation,Iamrequiredtoconsideritwrongforoneto
doso.Specifically,thedesiretoberewardedforone'screativitydoesnotjustifydeprivingtheworldingeneralof
allorpartofthatcreativity.
Won'tprogramme rsstarve ?
Icouldanswerthatnobodyisforcedtobeaprogrammer.Mostofuscannotmanagetogetanymoneyforstanding
onthestreetandmakingfaces.Butwearenot,asaresult,condemnedtospendourlivesstandingonthestreet
makingfaces,andstarving.Wedosomethingelse.
Butthatisthewronganswerbecauseitacceptsthequestioner'simplicitassumption:thatwithoutownershipof
software,programmerscannotpossiblybepaidacent.Supposedlyitisallornothing.
Therealreasonprogrammerswillnotstarveisthatitwillstillbepossibleforthemtogetpaidforprogrammingjust
notpaidasmuchasnow.
Restrictingcopyingisnottheonlybasisforbusinessinsoftware.Itisthemostcommonbasis(7)becauseitbrings
inthemostmoney.Ifitwereprohibited,orrejectedbythecustomer,softwarebusinesswouldmovetootherbases
oforganizationwhicharenowusedlessoften.Therearealwaysnumerouswaystoorganizeanykindofbusiness.
Probablyprogrammingwillnotbeaslucrativeonthenewbasisasitisnow.Butthatisnotanargumentagainstthe
change.Itisnotconsideredaninjusticethatsalesclerksmakethesalariesthattheynowdo.Ifprogrammersmade
thesame,thatwouldnotbeaninjusticeeither.(Inpracticetheywouldstillmakeconsiderablymorethanthat.)
Don'tpe ople have arighttocontrolhowthe ircre ativityisuse d?
Controlovertheuseofone'sideasreallyconstitutescontroloverotherpeople'slivesanditisusuallyusedto
maketheirlivesmoredifficult.
Peoplewhohavestudiedtheissueofintellectualpropertyrights(8)carefully(suchaslawyers)saythatthereisno
intrinsicrighttointellectualproperty.Thekindsofsupposedintellectualpropertyrightsthatthegovernment
recognizeswerecreatedbyspecificactsoflegislationforspecificpurposes.
Forexample,thepatentsystemwasestablishedtoencourageinventorstodisclosethedetailsoftheirinventions.Its
purposewastohelpsocietyratherthantohelpinventors.Atthetime,thelifespanof17yearsforapatentwas
shortcomparedwiththerateofadvanceofthestateoftheart.Sincepatentsareanissueonlyamong
manufacturers,forwhomthecostandeffortofalicenseagreementaresmallcomparedwithsettingupproduction,
thepatentsoftendonotdomuchharm.Theydonotobstructmostindividualswhousepatentedproducts.
Theideaofcopyrightdidnotexistinancienttimes,whenauthorsfrequentlycopiedotherauthorsatlengthinworks
ofnonfiction.Thispracticewasuseful,andistheonlywaymanyauthors'workshavesurvivedeveninpart.The
copyrightsystemwascreatedexpresslyforthepurposeofencouragingauthorship.Inthedomainforwhichitwas
inventedbooks,whichcouldbecopiedeconomicallyonlyonaprintingpressitdidlittleharm,anddidnot
obstructmostoftheindividualswhoreadthebooks.
Allintellectualpropertyrightsarejustlicensesgrantedbysocietybecauseitwasthought,rightlyorwrongly,that
societyasawholewouldbenefitbygrantingthem.Butinanyparticularsituation,wehavetoask:arewereally
betteroffgrantingsuchlicense?Whatkindofactarewelicensingapersontodo?
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Thecaseofprogramstodayisverydifferentfromthatofbooksahundredyearsago.Thefactthattheeasiestway
tocopyaprogramisfromoneneighbortoanother,thefactthataprogramhasbothsourcecodeandobjectcode
whicharedistinct,andthefactthataprogramisusedratherthanreadandenjoyed,combinetocreateasituationin
whichapersonwhoenforcesacopyrightisharmingsocietyasawholebothmateriallyandspirituallyinwhicha
personshouldnotdosoregardlessofwhetherthelawenableshimto.
Compe titionmake sthingsge tdone be tte r.
Theparadigmofcompetitionisarace:byrewardingthewinner,weencourageeveryonetorunfaster.When
capitalismreallyworksthisway,itdoesagoodjobbutitsdefendersarewronginassumingitalwaysworksthis
way.Iftherunnersforgetwhytherewardisofferedandbecomeintentonwinning,nomatterhow,theymayfind
otherstrategiessuchas,attackingotherrunners.Iftherunnersgetintoafistfight,theywillallfinishlate.
Proprietaryandsecretsoftwareisthemoralequivalentofrunnersinafistfight.Sadtosay,theonlyrefereewe've
gotdoesnotseemtoobjecttofightshejustregulatesthem(Foreverytenyardsyourun,youcanfireoneshot).
Hereallyoughttobreakthemup,andpenalizerunnersforeventryingtofight.
Won'te ve ryone stopprogrammingwithoutamone taryince ntive ?
Actually,manypeoplewillprogramwithabsolutelynomonetaryincentive.Programminghasanirresistible
fascinationforsomepeople,usuallythepeoplewhoarebestatit.Thereisnoshortageofprofessionalmusicians
whokeepatiteventhoughtheyhavenohopeofmakingalivingthatway.
Butreallythisquestion,thoughcommonlyasked,isnotappropriatetothesituation.Payforprogrammerswillnot
disappear,onlybecomeless.Sotherightquestionis,willanyoneprogramwithareducedmonetaryincentive?My
experienceshowsthattheywill.
Formorethantenyears,manyoftheworld'sbestprogrammersworkedattheArtificialIntelligenceLabforfar
lessmoneythantheycouldhavehadanywhereelse.Theygotmanykindsofnonmonetaryrewards:fameand
appreciation,forexample.Andcreativityisalsofun,arewardinitself.
Thenmostofthemleftwhenofferedachancetodothesameinterestingworkforalotofmoney.
Whatthefactsshowisthatpeoplewillprogramforreasonsotherthanrichesbutifgivenachancetomakealot
ofmoneyaswell,theywillcometoexpectanddemandit.Lowpayingorganizationsdopoorlyincompetitionwith
highpayingones,buttheydonothavetodobadlyifthehighpayingonesarebanned.
We ne e dthe programme rsde spe rate ly.Ifthe yde mandthatwe stophe lpingourne ighbors,we have to
obe y.
You'reneversodesperatethatyouhavetoobeythissortofdemand.Remember:millionsfordefense,butnota
centfortribute!
Programme rsne e dtomake alivingsome how.
Intheshortrun,thisistrue.However,thereareplentyofwaysthatprogrammerscouldmakealivingwithout
sellingtherighttouseaprogram.Thiswayiscustomarynowbecauseitbringsprogrammersandbusinessmenthe
mostmoney,notbecauseitistheonlywaytomakealiving.Itiseasytofindotherwaysifyouwanttofindthem.
Hereareanumberofexamples.
Amanufacturerintroducinganewcomputerwillpayfortheportingofoperatingsystemsontothenewhardware.
Thesaleofteaching,handholdingandmaintenanceservicescouldalsoemployprogrammers.
Peoplewithnewideascoulddistributeprogramsasfreeware(9),askingfordonationsfromsatisfiedusers,orselling
handholdingservices.Ihavemetpeoplewhoarealreadyworkingthiswaysuccessfully.
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Userswithrelatedneedscanformusers'groups,andpaydues.Agroupwouldcontractwithprogramming
companiestowriteprogramsthatthegroup'smemberswouldliketouse.
AllsortsofdevelopmentcanbefundedwithaSoftwareTax:
Supposeeveryonewhobuysacomputerhastopayxpercentofthepriceasasoftwaretax.Thegovernmentgives
thistoanagencyliketheNSFtospendonsoftwaredevelopment.
Butifthecomputerbuyermakesadonationtosoftwaredevelopmenthimself,hecantakeacreditagainstthetax.
Hecandonatetotheprojectofhisownchoosingoften,chosenbecausehehopestousetheresultswhenitis
done.Hecantakeacreditforanyamountofdonationuptothetotaltaxhehadtopay.
Thetotaltaxratecouldbedecidedbyavoteofthepayersofthetax,weightedaccordingtotheamounttheywill
betaxedon.
Theconsequences:
Thecomputerusingcommunitysupportssoftwaredevelopment.
Thiscommunitydecideswhatlevelofsupportisneeded.
Userswhocarewhichprojectstheirshareisspentoncanchoosethisforthemselves.
Inthelongrun,makingprogramsfreeisasteptowardthepostscarcityworld,wherenobodywillhavetoworkvery
hardjusttomakealiving.Peoplewillbefreetodevotethemselvestoactivitiesthatarefun,suchasprogramming,
afterspendingthenecessarytenhoursaweekonrequiredtaskssuchaslegislation,familycounseling,robotrepair
andasteroidprospecting.Therewillbenoneedtobeabletomakealivingfromprogramming.
Wehavealreadygreatlyreducedtheamountofworkthatthewholesocietymustdoforitsactualproductivity,but
onlyalittleofthishastranslateditselfintoleisureforworkersbecausemuchnonproductiveactivityisrequiredto
accompanyproductiveactivity.Themaincausesofthisarebureaucracyandisometricstrugglesagainst
competition.Freesoftwarewillgreatlyreducethesedrainsintheareaofsoftwareproduction.Wemustdothis,in
orderfortechnicalgainsinproductivitytotranslateintolessworkforus.

Footnotes
1. Thewordingherewascareless.Theintentionwasthatnobodywouldhavetopayforpe rmissiontouse
theGNUsystem.Butthewordsdon'tmakethisclear,andpeopleofteninterpretthemassayingthat
copiesofGNUshouldalwaysbedistributedatlittleornocharge.Thatwasnevertheintentlateron,the
manifestomentionsthepossibilityofcompaniesprovidingtheserviceofdistributionforaprofit.
SubsequentlyIhavelearnedtodistinguishcarefullybetweenfreeinthesenseoffreedomandfreein
thesenseofprice.Freesoftwareissoftwarethatusershavethefreedomtodistributeandchange.Some
usersmayobtaincopiesatnocharge,whileotherspaytoobtaincopiesandifthefundshelpsupport
improvingthesoftware,somuchthebetter.Theimportantthingisthateveryonewhohasacopyhasthe
freedomtocooperatewithothersinusingit.
2. TheexpressiongiveawayisanotherindicationthatIhadnotyetclearlyseparatedtheissueofprice
fromthatoffreedom.Wenowrecommendavoidingthisexpressionwhentalkingaboutfreesoftware.See
ConfusingWordsandPhrasesformoreexplanation.
3. ThisisanotherplaceIfailedtodistinguishcarefullybetweenthetwodifferentmeaningsoffree.The
statementasitstandsisnotfalseyoucangetcopiesofGNUsoftwareatnocharge,fromyourfriendsor
overthenet.Butitdoessuggestthewrongidea.
4. Severalsuchcompaniesnowexist.
5. Althoughitisacharityratherthanacompany,theFreeSoftwareFoundationfor10yearsraisedmostofits
fundsfromitsdistributionservice.YoucanorderthingsfromtheFSFtosupportitswork.
6. Agroupofcomputercompaniespooledfundsaround1991tosupportmaintenanceoftheGNUC
Compiler.
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7. IthinkIwasmistakeninsayingthatproprietarysoftwarewasthemostcommonbasisformakingmoneyin
software.Itseemsthatactuallythemostcommonbusinessmodelwasandisdevelopmentofcustom
software.Thatdoesnotofferthepossibilityofcollectingrents,sothebusinesshastokeepdoingrealwork
inordertokeepgettingincome.Thecustomsoftwarebusinesswouldcontinuetoexist,moreorless
unchanged,inafreesoftwareworld.Therefore,Inolongerexpectthatmostpaidprogrammerswouldearn
lessinafreesoftwareworld.
8. Inthe1980sIhadnotyetrealizedhowconfusingitwastospeakoftheissueofintellectualproperty.
Thattermisobviouslybiasedmoresubtleisthefactthatitlumpstogethervariousdisparatelawswhich
raiseverydifferentissues.NowadaysIurgepeopletorejectthetermintellectualpropertyentirely,lestit
leadotherstosupposethatthoselawsformonecoherentissue.Thewaytobeclearistodiscusspatents,
copyrights,andtrademarksseparately.Seefurtherexplanationofhowthistermspreadsconfusionand
bias.
9. Subsequentlywelearnedtodistinguishbetweenfreesoftwareandfreeware.Thetermfreeware
meanssoftwareyouarefreetoredistribute,butusuallyyouarenotfreetostudyandchangethesource
code,somostofitisnotfreesoftware.SeeConfusingWordsandPhrasesformoreexplanation.
Copyright1985,1993,2003,2005,2007,2008,2009,2010,2014FreeSoftwareFoundation,Inc.
Permissionisgrantedtoanyonetomakeordistributeverbatimcopiesofthisdocument,inanymedium,provided
thatthecopyrightnoticeandpermissionnoticearepreserved,andthatthedistributorgrantstherecipientpermission
forfurtherredistributionaspermittedbythisnotice.
Modifiedversionsmaynotbemade.

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