what really is Free software!!!

[Ahmed Bilal Jan]

According to free software foundation a free software is not the one
you get for free but
“Free software is software that gives you the user the freedom to
share, study and modify it. We call this free software because the
user is free.”
FSF defines 4 levels of freedom ranging from (0-3) to show clearly
what must be true about a particular software program for it to be
considered free software
1-The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0).
2-The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your
needs (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for
this.
3-The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor
(freedom 2).
4-The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements
(and modified versions in general) to the public, so that the whole
community benefits (freedom 3). Access to the source code is a
precondition for this.
Free software becomes the foundation of learning society where people
share their knowledge with others.
Free software differs from proprietary software where we are not
allowed to make copy of software nor we can learn how that software
works. Proprietary software brings unacceptable danger to free society
as companies behind these softwares very often spy on your activities.
The free software movement was started in 1983 by computer scientist
Richard M. Stallman, when he launched a project called GNU which
stands from “GNU is not UNIX” to provide a replacement for unic
operatingsystem with aim to provide freedom of use. Two years later
Richard M. Stallman led the foundation of free software foundation.
since 1985 there are many varients or distributions of GNU operating
system using the kernel Linux. Today free softwares are available for
any task you can imagine. Ranging from operating system like GNU to
countless programs listed in FSF/UNESCO free software directory.