What Is Application Software?
The freedom to run the program as you wish means that you are not forbidden or stopped from making it run. This has nothing to do with what functionality the program has, whether it is technically capable of functioning in any given environment, or whether it is useful for any particular computing activity. In the rest of this article we explain more precisely how far the various freedoms need to extend, on various issues, in order for a program to be free. Have a question about free software licensing not answered here? See our other licensing resources, and if necessary contact the FSF Compliance Lab at You may have paid money to get copies of a free program, or you may have obtained copies at no charge. Sometimes government export control regulations and trade sanctions can constrain your freedom to distribute copies of programs internationally. Software developers do not have the power to eliminate or override these restrictions, but what they can and must do is refuse to impose