Free Software Foundation facts for kids
Free Software Foundation logo
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| Abbreviation | FSF |
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| Formation | October 4, 1985 |
| Founder | Richard Stallman |
| Type | 501(c)(3) non-profit organization |
| Legal status | 501(c)(3) |
| Purpose | Educational |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts, US |
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Region served
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Worldwide |
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Membership
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Individuals |
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President
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Geoffrey Knauth |
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Executive director
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Zoë Kooyman |
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Revenue (2020)
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$1,149,602 |
| Expenses (2020) | $1,809,358 |
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Staff
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13 |
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a non-profit group started by Richard Stallman. It began on October 4, 1985, in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Its main goal is to support the free software movement.
The FSF believes that computer programs should be "free." This means users should have the freedom to run, study, change, and share the software. The FSF especially likes software that uses "copyleft" rules. Copyleft means that if you share software, you must also share any changes you make to it. The FSF's own GNU General Public License is a good example of this.
The FSF works to make sure free software is used everywhere. They also try to use only free software on their own computers.
Contents
History of the FSF
The Free Software Foundation started in 1985. It was set up to help develop free software. In its early days, the FSF sold things like manuals and tapes. These items helped fund people who were creating free software.
Since then, the FSF has kept doing these activities. They also work to spread the word about the free software movement. The FSF is in charge of several free software licenses. This means they publish these rules and can update them when needed.
Copyright and Rules
The FSF owns the copyrights for many parts of the GNU system. For example, they own the copyright for the GNU Compiler Collection. Because they own these copyrights, they can make sure people follow the copyleft rules. These rules are part of the GNU General Public License (GPL). If someone breaks these rules, the FSF can take action.
From 1991 to 2001, Richard Stallman often handled rule-breaking himself. He usually sent emails to people who were not following the GPL. Often, these issues were fixed quickly. In 2004, Harald Welte started gpl-violations.org. This group helped other software companies make sure their copyleft rules were followed.
In 2001, the FSF made its efforts to enforce the GPL more official. They created the FSF's GPL Compliance Labs. From 2002 to 2004, the FSF worked on many important cases. These included cases against companies like Linksys and OpenTV. Making sure the GPL was followed became a big focus for the FSF.
Legal Challenges
In 2003, a company called SCO sued IBM. SCO claimed that IBM's work on free software, including GNU, broke SCO's rights. The FSF was not directly part of this lawsuit. However, they were asked to provide information. The FSF worked hard to respond to this lawsuit. They wanted to prevent it from harming the use of free software.
From 2003 to 2005, the FSF held special classes. These classes taught lawyers about the GPL and related laws. These were the first formal lessons on the GPL for legal professionals.
In 2007, the FSF released a new version of the GNU General Public License. This was the third version, and many people helped create it.
In 2008, the FSF sued Cisco. Cisco was using software with GPL rules in its Linksys products. Cisco had known about this issue since 2003 but had not fixed it. In 2009, Cisco and the FSF reached an agreement. Cisco agreed to give money to the FSF. They also agreed to hire someone to check their license rules regularly.
What the FSF Does Now
The GNU Project
The FSF's first goal was to promote the ideas of free software. They wanted the GNU operating system to be a great example of this. The GNU Project is still a very important part of their work.
GNU Licenses
The GNU General Public License (GPL) is a very common license for free software. The latest version, version 3, came out in 2007. The FSF also publishes other important licenses. These include the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL), the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL), and the GNU Affero General Public License (AGPL). These licenses help make sure software stays free.
GNU Press
GNU Press is the FSF's publishing group. They print affordable books about computer science. These books use licenses that allow them to be freely shared.
The Free Software Directory
The Free Software Directory is a list of software that has been checked and confirmed as free. Each entry has details like the project's website and the programming language used. The goal is to help people find free software. It also helps users check if a program is truly free. The FSF has received some funding from UNESCO for this project.
Defining Free Software
The FSF helps maintain the documents that explain what free software is. These documents define the rules and ideas of the free software movement.
Project Hosting
The FSF hosts software development projects on its Savannah website. This helps developers work together on free software.
h-node
h-node stands for "Hardware-Node." This website lists computer hardware and drivers that work well with free software. Users can add and test hardware entries before they are published. It is supported by volunteers.
Advocacy and Campaigns
The FSF runs campaigns against things they see as threats to software freedom. These include:
- Software patents: These can make it hard for people to create new software freely.
- Digital restrictions management (DRM): The FSF calls this "digital restrictions management." They say it limits your rights to use software and media. Since 2012, the Defective by Design campaign has fought against DRM.
- User interface copyright: This is about who owns the look and feel of software.
The FSF also promotes Ogg+Vorbis. This is a free choice instead of other formats like AAC. The FSF also supports free software projects that they think are very important.
Awards and Recognition
The Free Software Foundation and the GNU Project have received several awards:
- 2001: The GNU Project received the USENIX Lifetime Achievement Award. This award recognized how common and good its free software is. It also noted how GNU helped a generation of research and business grow.
- 2005: The FSF received the Prix Ars Electronica Award of Distinction. This was in the "Digital Communities" category.
Images for kids
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Parabola GNU/Linux-libre is a distribution officially endorsed by the FSF.
See also
In Spanish: Free Software Foundation para niños
