Z:gnu-www-ja-gpl-american-way--f96a36-As in =26ldquo;free enterprise=26r/en

As in &ldquo;free enterprise&rdquo; and &ldquo;free speech&rdquo;, the &ldquo;free&rdquo; in &ldquo;free software&rdquo; refers to freedom, not price; specifically, it means that you have the freedom to study, change, and redistribute the software you use. These freedoms permit citizens to help themselves and help each other, and thus participate in a community. This contrasts with the more common proprietary software, which keeps users helpless and divided: the inner workings are secret, and you are prohibited from sharing the program with your neighbor. Powerful, reliable software and improved technology are useful byproducts of freedom, but the freedom to have a community is important in its own right.