# Free Software Foundation (FSF) The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a nonprofit organization founded by [[Richard Stallman]] in 1985 to promote and defend software freedom. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, the FSF supports the [[GNU is not Unix (GNU)|GNU]] project, maintains the [[GNU General Public License (GPL)]] family of licenses, and advocates for users' rights to run, study, share, and modify software. The FSF's mission extends beyond code; it campaigns against digital restrictions management (DRM), proprietary software in education, and software patents. The organization defined the [[Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)|Four Freedoms]] that serve as the philosophical foundation of the free software movement, distinguishing it from the more pragmatic [[Open Source]] approach. ## Core Activities - **GNU Project Support**: Funds and coordinates development of GNU software - **License Stewardship**: Maintains GPL, LGPL, AGPL, and FDL licenses - **Advocacy**: Campaigns for software freedom and against DRM - **Certification**: Runs "Respects Your Freedom" hardware certification - **Legal**: GPL compliance and enforcement through licensing education ## Key Licenses Maintained | License | Purpose | | -------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- | | [[GPLv2 License\|GPLv2]], [[GPLv3 License\|GPLv3]] | Strong copyleft for software | | [[LGPL License]] | Copyleft allowing proprietary linking | | [[Affero General Public License (AGPL)]] | GPL extended to network services | | FDL | For documentation and manuals | ## Notable Campaigns - **Defective by Design**: Anti-DRM advocacy - **PlayOgg**: Promoting open media formats - **Windows 7 Sins**: Campaign against proprietary operating systems - **Free BIOS**: Advocacy for open firmware ## References - https://www.fsf.org - https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Software_Foundation ## Related - [[Richard Stallman]] - [[GNU is not Unix (GNU)]] - [[Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)]] - [[Open Source]] - [[Linux]] - [[Brian Fox]]