Distribution
GNU Emacs is free software; this means that everyone is free to
use it and free to redistribute it on certain conditions. GNU Emacs
is not in the public domain; it is copyrighted and there are
restrictions on its distribution, but these restrictions are designed
to permit everything that a good cooperating citizen would want to do.
What is not allowed is to try to prevent others from further sharing
any version of GNU Emacs that they might get from you. The precise
conditions are found in the GNU General Public License that comes with
Emacs and also appears in this manual1.
See Copying.
One way to get a copy of GNU Emacs is from someone else who has it.
You need not ask for our permission to do so, or tell any one else;
just copy it. If you have access to the Internet, you can get the
latest distribution version of GNU Emacs by anonymous FTP; see
https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs on our website for more
information.
You may also receive GNU Emacs when you buy a computer. Computer
manufacturers are free to distribute copies on the same terms that apply to
everyone else. These terms require them to give you the full sources,
including whatever changes they may have made, and to permit you to
redistribute the GNU Emacs received from them under the usual terms of the
General Public License. In other words, the program must be free for you
when you get it, not just free for the manufacturer.
You can also order copies of GNU Emacs from the Free Software
Foundation. This is a convenient and reliable way to get a copy; it is
also a good way to help fund our work. We also sell hardcopy versions
of this manual and An Introduction to Programming in Emacs Lisp,
by Robert J. Chassell. You can find an order form on our web site at
https://www.gnu.org/order/order.html. For further information,
write to
Free Software Foundation
51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor
Boston, MA 02110-1301
USA
The income from distribution fees goes to support the foundation's
purpose: the development of new free software, and improvements to our
existing programs including GNU Emacs.
If you find GNU Emacs useful, please send a donation to the
Free Software Foundation to support our work. Donations to the Free
Software Foundation are tax deductible in the US. If you use GNU Emacs
at your workplace, please suggest that the company make a donation. If
company policy is unsympathetic to the idea of donating to charity, you
might instead suggest ordering a CD-ROM from the Foundation
occasionally, or subscribing to periodic updates.
