https://writefreesoftware.org/ Recent content on Write Free Software Hugo -- gohugo.io en Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://writefreesoftware.org/learn/four-freedoms/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://writefreesoftware.org/learn/four-freedoms/ The freedom to use the software for any purpose. The freedom to study and improve the software. The freedom to share the software. The freedom to collaborate on the software. Let’s examine each of the four freedoms in more detail. 0: Use the software The “zeroth” freedom guarantees the right for everyone to use the software for any purpose. You are entitled to the use of any free software for any purpose, including commercial use – counter-intuitively, you can sell free software. https://writefreesoftware.org/learn/licenses/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://writefreesoftware.org/learn/licenses/ The four freedoms are generally guaranteed through the use of a free software license. There are many different kinds of licenses with many different trade-offs to suit each software project’s unique situation. How a free software license works A free software license grants the necessary rights, perhaps subject to some caveats (e.g. attribution), to establish the four freedoms for recipients of the software. Any software license can be a free software license if it upholds the four freedoms, but in practice most projects pick one of the many popular licenses established for general use. https://writefreesoftware.org/learn/copyleft/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://writefreesoftware.org/learn/copyleft/ Copyleft is a licensing tool unique to free software. It is designed to encourage the proliferation of free software and protect free software from being incorporated into non-free works. This works by giving you not only the right to share your improvements, but the obligation to share your improvements under the same conditions when the software is distributed. It is very important to understand these obligations when re-using copyleft software in your own work. https://writefreesoftware.org/learn/participate/contribute/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://writefreesoftware.org/learn/participate/contribute/ Scores of free software projects are looking for help. No matter your area of expertise – competence in any programming language, writing documentation, community management, marketing skills, design and art skills – there’s a project out there which could use your help. Look at the tools you use every day: chances are that many of them are already free software. Their communities are waiting to meet you! Find their chat rooms, internet forums, and other hang-outs and introduce yourself. https://writefreesoftware.org/learn/participate/publish/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://writefreesoftware.org/learn/participate/publish/ Got a great idea for a new free software project and itching to publish it? Wonderful! Here are the steps: Write it! Choose a software license Publish your project Build a community (optional) Writing your software We can’t help you much with this part, of course. However, one word of advice: publish early. Many new maintainers are hesitant to publish their code, worried that poor documentation, missing features, abundant bugs, or even just poor code – it all needs to be fixed before it’s ready for the world. https://writefreesoftware.org/learn/participate/choose-a-license/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://writefreesoftware.org/learn/participate/choose-a-license/ Choosing a license is an important part of publishing your free software projects. There are many to choose from, and each has different trade-offs and implications for your project’s future. It can be difficult to change the license later, so you should consider it carefully at the start. Here are a few widely used free software licenses we recommend, and why you might choose them. Once you pick a license, include it when sharing your software. https://writefreesoftware.org/learn/participate/assets/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://writefreesoftware.org/learn/participate/assets/ Free software licenses are most suitable for licensing, well, software. However, free software projects often incorporate media which is not software in and of itself, such as artwork and documentation. Different licenses are recommended for these use-cases. We have some recommendations for licenses which are suitable for non-software media, are within the spirit of free software, and are compatible with free software licenses. Creative Commons Most multimedia assets – images, audio, videos, writing, and so on – are suitable for use with Creative Commons licenses, which include configurable options for traits such as copyleft and attribution. https://writefreesoftware.org/learn/participate/copyright-ownership/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://writefreesoftware.org/learn/participate/copyright-ownership/ The nature of copyright ownership in free software bears clarifying. In the absence of a Contributor License Agreement or similar document (a practice we strongly recommend against), how do free software developers and publishers manage the legal rights associated with the software’s copyright? Who owns a free software project? When you contribute to a free software project, if you do not assign your copyright to someone else, you retain ownership over the intellectual property rights associated with your contribution. https://writefreesoftware.org/learn/participate/derived-works/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://writefreesoftware.org/learn/participate/derived-works/ One of the great advantages of free software is its potential for re-use. You can incorporate code from other free software projects into new projects, saving time and allowing you to build on the shoulders of giants. Of course, you have to respect the original project’s work, and that means complying with their free software license terms. Always read the license carefully when incorporating someone else’s work into your own software. https://writefreesoftware.org/learn/participate/this-site/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://writefreesoftware.org/learn/participate/this-site/ This website is itself free software. The source code for the content and layout is available on SourceHut, a free software development platform. Follow the link for information on how to contribute improvements! The website and its content uses the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license, a copyleft license. The theme is based on the Hugo compose theme, which is free software licensed with the MIT license, copyright © 2020 Weru.