Editing Free software movement (section)

{{short description|Social movement}}
{{Distinguish|text=[[Open-source-software movement]], a related movement}}
{{For|related movements beyond software |Open source{{!}}Open-source model}}

The '''free software movement''' is a social movement with the goal of obtaining and guaranteeing certain freedoms for [[user (computing)|software users]], namely the freedoms to run, study, modify, and share copies of software.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html|title=What is Free Software?|website=(gnu.org)|access-date=2020-03-18|archive-date=2013-10-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014132149/https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2008-03/msg00635.html Richard Stallman on the nature of the Free software movement] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170513005715/http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2008-03/msg00635.html |date=2017-05-13 }} in 2008 on emacs-devel mailing list.</ref> Software which meets these requirements, [[The Free Software Definition#The Four Essential Freedoms of Free Software|The Four Essential Freedoms of Free Software]], is termed [[free software]].

Although drawing on traditions and philosophies among members of the 1970s [[hacker (programmer subculture)|hacker culture]] and academia, [[Richard Stallman]] formally founded the movement<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Corrado |first1=Edward M. |last2=Moualison Sandy |first2=Heather |last3=Mitchell |first3=Erik T. |date=2018-07-03 |title=Nullis in Verba: The Free Software Movement as a model for Openness and Transparency |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07317131.2018.1456849 |journal=Technical Services Quarterly |language=en |volume=35 |issue=3 |pages=269–279 |doi=10.1080/07317131.2018.1456849 |s2cid=196159979 |issn=0731-7131 |access-date=2022-05-03 |archive-date=2023-07-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230710173206/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07317131.2018.1456849 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref> in 1983 by launching the [[GNU Project]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/gnu/initial-announcement.html|title=Initial Announcement |website=GNU Project |date=September 27, 1983 |first1=Richard |last1=Stallman |access-date=2014-04-18|archive-date=2009-03-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090305002259/http://www.gnu.org/gnu/initial-announcement.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Stallman later established the [[Free Software Foundation]] in 1985 to support the movement.