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• We should never copy the software and give it to our employees or friends for use. We should also encourage
others to buy original software.
• Check for the serial number that has been provided and any difference should be avoided.
• As soon as the software is purchased, we should register the software so that others will not be able to use the same
serial number.
16.4.3 Free Software Foundation
Software licensing is an integral part of software development. A software license controls how
the software can be used and distributed to the end users. A software becomes popular when
it is distributed and adopted widely. Most modern software is sold under a proprietary license
agreement which allows the publisher or creator to retain the intellectual property rights of the
software and also collect the necessary revenue for software production.
However, some developers have an alternative viewpoint. They think that software license has a negative impact
on the growth of the software industry. They suggest that companies should grant users the rights to study, change,
and share the software’s source code without legal consequences. The concept of “free software” or “open-source
software” thus gained momentum.
The Free Software Movement was the brainchild of Richard Stallman who launched the GNU Project in 1983 and Free
Software Foundation (FSF) in 1985, a non-profit organization that promotes the development of free software.
According to the FSF, “free software is the software that grants the user the freedom to share, study, and modify it.”
According to them, free software is a matter of freedom, not price. According to FSF, a free software must also stick to
the four pillars of freedom which are:
• The freedom to execute the software for any purpose without any restrictions. (Freedom 0)
• The freedom to study how the software works and alter it according to your needs and preferences. So, providing
free access to the source code becomes a prerequisite for this. (Freedom 1)
• The freedom to freely re-distribute the software to assist the concerned user for free or charging nominally. (Freedom 2)
• The freedom to upgrade the software and release one’s improvement for free or for a nominal fee, for the entire
community (programmers and users included) to benefit. For this also, providing free access to the source code
became a prerequisite. (Freedom 3)
16.4.4 Open-Source Software
Open-Source Initiative (OSI) was founded by Raymond and Bruce Perens to encourage the use of the new term as well
as the spread of open-source principles. OSI also developed the Open-Source Definition—a list of ten principles to
which a software’s license must adhere to, to be considered an open-source software. The ten principles of the Open-
Source Definition are:
• Free Redistribution: The license does not restrict any party form redistributing a part or whole of the software.
• Source Code: The program must include the source code, and must allow distribution of the same in both forms, as
the source code and in the compiled form.
• Derived Works: The license must allow modifications and derived works, and must allow them to be distributed
under the same terms as in the license of the original software.
• Integrity of the Author’s Source Code: The license permits source-code to be distributed in the modified form only
with a different name or version number than the original software.
• No Discrimination against Persons or Groups: The license must not discriminate against any person or particular group.
• No Discrimination based on Fields of Endeavor: The license must not restrict anyone from making use of the
program belonging to a separate field of endeavor.
• Distribution of License: The rights attached to the program must apply to all to whom the program is redistributed.
• License Must Not Be Specific to a Product: The rights attached to the program must not depend on the program
being a part of a particular software distribution.
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