12.2 Freedom for Web Pages

If you use a site other than www.gnu.org, please make sure that the site runs on free software alone. (It is ok if the site uses unreleased custom software, since that is free in a trivial sense: there’s only one user and it has the four freedoms.) If the web site for a GNU package runs on non-free software, the public will see this, and it will have the effect of granting legitimacy to the non-free program.

If you use multiple sites, they should all follow that criterion. Please don’t link to a site that is about your package, which the public might perceive as connected with it and reflecting the position of its developers, unless it follows that criterion.

Historically, web pages for GNU packages did not include GIF images, because of patent problems (see Ethical and Philosophical Consideration). Although the GIF patents expired in 2006, using GIF images is still not recommended, as the PNG and JPEG formats are generally superior. See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/gif.html.