As defined by Richard M. Stallman and used by the Free Software
movement, this means software that gives users enough freedom to be used by
the free software community. Specifically, users must be free to modify
the software for their private use, and free to redistribute it either with
or without modifications, either commercially or noncommercially, either
gratis or charging a distribution fee. Free software has existed since the
dawn of computing; Free Software as a movement began in 1984 with the GNU
Project.
RMS observes that the English word “free” can refer
either to liberty (where it means the same as the Spanish or French
“libre”) or to price (where it means the same as the Spanish
“gratis” or French “gratuit”). RMS and other
people associated with the FSF like to explain the word “free”
in “free software” by saying “Free as in speech, not as
in beer.”
See also open source. Hard-core proponents of
the term “free software” sometimes reject this newer term,
claiming that the style of argument associated with it ignores or downplays
the moral imperative at the heart of free software.