Free Software Foundation

A group called the FSF helps people use computers.

They want software to be free for all. This means anyone can share it.

They help make rules for this software. These rules let people share and change it. This helps everyone learn how it works.

The group started in a place called Boston. They help people write new computer programs. They also write books about computers.

They check to see if tools are truly free. They even look at computer parts like hardware. This makes sure people stay free to use them.

It is a big team working for everyone.

The Free Software Foundation, or FSF, is a non-profit group.

It was started by Richard Stallman in 1985. The group is based in Boston. Its main goal is to support free software. This means software that anyone can use and share.

The FSF makes special rules for software. One rule is the GNU General Public License, or GPL. This rule uses copyleft. Copyleft is a way to make sure software stays free. It means if you change the software, you must share it too. The FSF helps make sure companies follow these rules. They even have a lab to check this.

The group does many things to help. They host projects on a site called Savannah. They also have a list of free software. They check if computer parts, called hardware, work well with free software. This is part of their RYF program. They want to make sure users have full control. They also work to find free ways to do tasks like video editing. They want to make sure people do not feel forced to use locked software.

The Free Software Foundation, or FSF, is a non-profit group.

It works to protect the freedom of computer users. This group believes that software should be free for everyone to use and study. They want people to have control over their own technology. This idea is called the free software movement. The FSF helps make sure this movement stays strong around the world.

To do this, the FSF uses special legal rules called licenses. One famous rule is the GNU General Public License, or GPL. This license uses a concept called copyleft. Copyleft is a way to ensure software stays free for everyone. If someone changes the software, they must share those changes too. This keeps the code open for the whole community. The FSF also manages other licenses like the LGPL and the AGPL.

Richard Stallman started the FSF on October 4, 1985. He is also the founder of the GNU Project. The organization is based in Boston, Massachusetts. In the early years, the FSF used its money to pay developers. These developers wrote free software for the GNU Project. Later, the group focused more on legal and structural work. They also worked to help the growing free software community.

History shows that the FSF has had to defend these rules many times. Between 2002 and 2004, they dealt with big cases involving companies like Linksys. In 2003, a company named SCO sued IBM regarding software rights. The FSF was not part of that lawsuit, but they had to help people understand it. In 2008, the FSF sued Cisco for not following the GPL rules.

Eventually, Cisco and the FSF reached a settlement in 2009. This included a donation to the foundation.

Today, the FSF does many helpful things for technology users. They host software projects on a website called Savannah. They also run a program called Respects Your Freedom, or RYF. This program checks if computer hardware is truly compatible with free software. They also maintain a list of approved operating systems like PureOS and Trisquel.

These tools help people live in a digital world where they remain in charge of their devices.

The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. It was founded by Richard Stallman on October 4, 1985. The FSF is based in Boston, Massachusetts. Its main mission is to support the free software movement. This movement believes that users should have freedom in their computing. The FSF promotes software that is distributed under copyleft terms. Copyleft, or "share alike," ensures that software remains free for all users.

To protect these freedoms, the FSF uses specific legal tools called licenses. The most famous is the GNU General Public License, or GPL. The FSF also manages the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL). Other licenses include the GNU Affero General Public License (AGPL) and the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL). As a steward, the FSF publishes these licenses and makes revisions. The FSF also holds the copyrights for many parts of the GNU system. For example, it holds the copyright for the GNU Compiler Collection. This legal authority allows the FSF to enforce GPL requirements. If someone violates these rules, the FSF can take action against copyright infringement.

In its early years, the FSF focused on building software. From its founding until the mid-1990s, the FSF used most of its funds for this goal. It employed software developers to write code for the GNU Project. Volunteers and employees also worked on legal and structural issues. Today, the FSF aims to use only free software on its own computers. It also hosts many software development projects on its Savannah website. This website provides a place for the community to collaborate on new tools.

History shows that enforcing these licenses has been a complex task. From 1991 until 2001, GPL enforcement was mostly informal. Richard Stallman often handled these issues himself with lawyer Eben Moglen. In late 2001, the FSF formalized these efforts. Bradley M. Kuhn, the executive director at the time, helped create the GPL Compliance Labs. This lab worked with Moglen, David Turner, and Peter T. Brown. Between 2002 and 2004, high-profile cases against Linksys and OpenTV became common. In 2004, supporters like Harald Welte even launched gpl-violations.org to promote copyleft assertiveness.

Legal challenges have often required significant advocacy from the FSF. In March 2003, a company named SCO sued IBM. SCO claimed that IBM's contributions to free software violated its rights. While the FSF was not a party to the lawsuit, it was subpoenaed on November 5, 2003. The FSF worked hard to respond to this lawsuit and protect the movement. Between 2003 and 2005, the FSF held legal seminars to teach about the GPL. These seminars were taught by Bradley M. Kuhn and Daniel Ravicher. They offered formal legal education to help people understand the law.

Another major legal event involved the company Cisco. In December 2008, the FSF sued Cisco for using GPL-licensed components. Cisco had been notified of the issue in 2003 but did not follow its obligations. In May 2009, the two parties reached a settlement. Cisco agreed to make a monetary donation to the FSF. They also agreed to appoint a Free Software Director. This director conducts continuous reviews of the company's license compliance practices.

The FSF also manages many different types of digital resources. It runs the GNU Press department to publish affordable computer science books. It maintains the Free Software Directory, which verifies software packages. This directory can contain up to 47 pieces of information per entry. The FSF also runs the h-node website. This site lists hardware and drivers that are compatible with free software. Since 2012, the FSF has also run the Respects Your Freedom (RYF) program. This program certifies hardware that uses 100% free software and lacks backdoors.

Finally, the FSF works to identify high-priority needs in the software world. It maintains a list of projects that need more community attention. These projects are important because users might otherwise be forced to use non-free software. As of 2021, high-priority tasks include reverse engineering proprietary firmware. Other tasks include developing a free smartphone operating system. The FSF also campaigns against digital restrictions management, or DRM. They use the "Defective by Design" campaign to highlight these technologies. Through all these efforts, the FSF seeks to keep technology under the control of the people.