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description: 'This is the third edition of Richard Stallman''s collection of essays.'
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title: 'Free Software, Free Society, 3rd ed.'
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Free Software, Free Society, 3rd ed.
======

This is the third edition of Richard Stallman’s collection of essays.

@raggedright This is the third edition of Free Software, Free Society:
Selected Essays of Richard M. Stallman.\
 @end raggedright Free Software Foundation\
 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor\
 Boston, MA 02110-1335\
 Copyright © 2002, 2010, 2015 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

> Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire book are permitted
> worldwide, without royalty, in any medium, provided this notice is
> preserved. Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations
> of this book from the original English into another language provided
> the translation has been approved by the Free Software Foundation and
> the copyright notice and this permission notice are preserved on all
> copies.

ISBN 978-0-9831592-5-4\
\
 Cover design and photograph by Kyle Winfree.\

[Foreword to the Third Edition](#Foreword-v3)

  

[Foreword to the First Edition](#Foreword-v1)

  

[Preface](#Preface)

  

• Part One

  

[1. What Is Free Software?](#Definition)

  

[2. The GNU Project](#GNU-Project)

  

[3. The Initial Announcement of the
GNU Operating System](#Initial-Announcement)

  

[4. Free Software Is Even More Important Now](#More-Important-Now)

  

[5. Why Schools Should Exclusively Use Free Software](#Schools)

  

[6. Measures Governments Can Use to Promote Free Software](#Government)

  

[7. Why Free Software Needs Free Documentation](#Free-Doc)

  

[8. Selling Free Software](#Selling)

  

[10. Applying the Free Software Criteria](#Applying-FS-Criteria)

  

• Part Two

  

[11. What’s in a Name?](#Whats-Name)

  

[12. Linux and the GNU System](#Linux-and-GNU)

  

[13. Categories of Free and Nonfree Software](#Categories)

  

[14. Why Open Source Misses the Point of
Free Software](#OS-Misses-Point)

  

[15. Did You Say “Intellectual
Property”?@entrybreak{}It’s a Seductive Mirage](#Not-IPR)

  

[16. Why Call It the Swindle?](#Swindle)

  

[17. Words to Avoid (or Use with Care)\
Because They Are Loaded or Confusing](#Words-to-Avoid)

  

• Part Three

  

[18. The Right to Read](#Right-to-Read)

  

[19. Misinterpreting Copyright—A Series of Errors](#Mis-Cop)

  

[20. Science Must Push Copyright Aside](#Push-Cop-Aside)

  

[21. Copyright vs. Community\
@entrybreak{}in the Age of Computer
Networks](#Copyright-vs_002e-Community)

  

• Part Four

  

[22. Software Patents and Literary Patents](#SPLP)

  

[23. The Danger of Software Patents](#DSP)

  

[24. Giving the Software Field Protection
from Patents](#Limit-Patent-Effect)

  

• Part Five

  

• Licenses Intro

  

[27. The X Window System Trap](#X)

  

[28. Programs Must Not Limit
the Freedom to Run Them](#No-Limit-on-Freedom-0)

  

[29. What Is Copyleft?](#Copyleft)

  

[30. Why Copyleft?](#Why-Copyleft)

  

[31. Copyleft: Pragmatic Idealism](#Pragmatic)

  

[32. The GNU General Public License](#GPL)

  

[33. Why Upgrade to GPLv3](#Why-V3)

  

[34. The GNU Lesser General Public License](#LGPL)

  

[35. GNU Free Documentation License](#FDL)

  

[36. On Selling Exceptions to the GNU GPL](#Exceptions)

  

• Part Six

  

[37. Can You Trust Your Computer?](#Can-You-Trust)

  

[39. Releasing Free Software If You Work at a University](#University)

  

• Games

  

[41. The Danger of E-Books](#E_002dBooks-Danger)

  

• E-Books and Freedom

  

[43. Who Does That Server Really Serve?](#Server)

  

• Part Seven

  

[44. Avoiding Ruinous Compromises](#Compromise)

  

[45. Overcoming Social Inertia](#Social-Inertia)

  

[46. Freedom or Power?](#Freedom-or-Power)

  

[47. Imperfection Is Not the Same as Oppression](#Imperfection)

  

[48. How Much Surveillance Can Democracy
Withstand?](#Surveillance-vs_002e-Democracy)

  

[**A:** A Note on Software](#Appendix-A)

  

[**B:** Translations of “Free Software” and
“Gratis Software”](#Appendix-B)

  

[**C:** The Free Software Song](#Appendix-C)

  

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