What is the difference between libre and gratis

For example, copyleft very simply stated is the rule that when redistributing the program, you cannot add restrictions to deny other people the central freedoms.

This rule does not conflict with the central freedoms; rather it protects them. In the GNU project, we use copyleft to protect the four freedoms legally for everyone. We believe there are important reasons why it is better to use copyleft. However, noncopylefted free software is ethical too. Rules about how to package a modified version are acceptable, if they don't substantively limit your freedom to release modified versions, or your freedom to make and use modified versions privately.

Thus, it is acceptable for the license to require that you change the name of the modified version, remove a logo, or identify your modifications as yours. As long as these requirements are not so burdensome that they effectively hamper you from releasing your changes, they are acceptable; you're already making other changes to the program, so you won't have trouble making a few more.

An example of such an acceptable rule is one saying that if you have distributed a modified version and a previous developer asks for a copy of it, you must send one. Note that such a rule still leaves you the choice of whether to distribute your version at all. Rules that require release of source code to the users for versions that you put into public use are also acceptable. A special issue arises when a license requires changing the name by which the program will be invoked from other programs.

That effectively hampers you from releasing your changed version so that it can replace the original when invoked by those other programs. This sort of requirement is acceptable only if there's a suitable aliasing facility that allows you to specify the original program's name as an alias for the modified version. Sometimes government export control regulations and trade sanctions can constrain your freedom to distribute copies of programs internationally. Software developers do not have the power to eliminate or override these restrictions, but what they can and must do is refuse to impose them as conditions of use of the program.

In this way, the restrictions will not affect activities and people outside the jurisdictions of these governments. Thus, free software licenses must not require obedience to any nontrivial export regulations as a condition of exercising any of the essential freedoms.

Merely mentioning the existence of export regulations, without making them a condition of the license itself, is acceptable since it does not restrict users. If an export regulation is actually trivial for free software, then requiring it as a condition is not an actual problem; however, it is a potential problem, since a later change in export law could make the requirement nontrivial and thus render the software nonfree.

In order for these freedoms to be real, they must be permanent and irrevocable as long as you do nothing wrong; if the developer of the software has the power to revoke the license, or retroactively add restrictions to its terms, without your doing anything wrong to give cause, the software is not free. A free license may not require compliance with the license of a nonfree program. It is acceptable for a free license to specify which jurisdiction's law applies, or where litigation must be done, or both.

Most free software licenses are based on copyright, and there are limits on what kinds of requirements can be imposed through copyright. If a copyright-based license respects freedom in the ways described above, it is unlikely to have some other sort of problem that we never anticipated though this does happen occasionally.

However, some free software licenses are based on contracts, and contracts can impose a much larger range of possible restrictions.

That means there are many possible ways such a license could be unacceptably restrictive and nonfree. We can't possibly list all the ways that might happen.

If a contract-based license restricts the user in an unusual way that copyright-based licenses cannot, and which isn't mentioned here as legitimate, we will have to think about it, and we will probably conclude it is nonfree. Note that criteria such as those stated in this free software definition require careful thought for their interpretation. To decide whether a specific software license qualifies as a free software license, we judge it based on these criteria to determine whether it fits their spirit as well as the precise words.

If a license includes unconscionable restrictions, we reject it, even if we did not anticipate the issue in these criteria. Sometimes a license requirement raises an issue that calls for extensive thought, including discussions with a lawyer, before we can decide if the requirement is acceptable.

When we reach a conclusion about a new issue, we often update these criteria to make it easier to see why certain licenses do or don't qualify. If you are interested in whether a specific license qualifies as a free software license, see our list of licenses. If you are contemplating writing a new license, please contact the Free Software Foundation first by writing to that address.

The proliferation of different free software licenses means increased work for users in understanding the licenses; we may be able to help you find an existing free software license that meets your needs. Gerald Erichsen. Spanish Language Expert. Gerald Erichsen is a Spanish language expert who has created Spanish lessons for ThoughtCo since Updated February 11, Featured Video. Cite this Article Format. Erichsen, Gerald. Using the Spanish Verb 'Salir'.

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Go and download it! Free means gratis or no charge For example, when I was in university, the Dean of Students wanted to provide a free lunch on Cinco de Mayo for students. While ser libre refers to the state of freedom. You can also use libre as a formal way to say free of charge. Join the Community Access hundreds of lesson plans, printables, realia, song activities and more!

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