GNU Social Contract

This document states the core commitments of the GNU Project to the
broader free software community.

The purpose of the GNU Project is to provide software and systems that
respect users' freedoms.

* The GNU Project respects users' freedoms

The GNU Project provides software that guarantees to users the Four Essential
Freedoms, without compromise:
  0. The freedom to run the program as they wish, for any purpose.
  1. The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does
     their computing as they wish.
  2. The freedom to redistribute copies so they can help others.
  3. The freedom to distribute copies of their modified versions to others.
     By doing this they can give the whole community a chance to benefit
     from their changes.
Access to the source code is a precondition for this.

Apart from rare historical exceptions, all software written by the GNU Project
is distributed under copyleft licenses, designed to ensure that developers
cannot strip off users' freedom from GNU software.

Besides upholding the Four Essential Freedoms, the GNU Project pays attention
and responds to new threats to users' freedom as they arise.


* The GNU Project provides a consistent system

The GNU Project develops, in the form of GNU packages, an operating system
and a set of applications, the GNU system.  GNU package developers work
together to ensure consistency across packages.  GNU packages should follow
the design and development guidelines of the GNU Project.


* The GNU Project collaborates with the broader free software community

Free software has extended beyond the GNU Project, which works with
companion free software projects that develop key components of the
GNU system.  The GNU Project aims to extend the reach of free software
to new fields.


* The GNU Project welcomes contributions from all and everyone

The GNU Project wants to give everyone the opportunity of contributing to
its efforts on any of the many tasks that require work.  It welcomes all
contributors, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation,
level of experience, or any other personal characteristics.  It commits to
providing a harassment-free experience for all contributors.