The Free Software Foundation (FSF) was founded in 1985 by Richard Stallman to support the free software movement through developing the GNU operating system using freely distributable licenses like the GNU General Public License (GPL). The FSF promotes ideals of free software through projects like the GNU system and publishes books on computer science, while also certifying hardware that uses 100% free software and allows user modification. It is led by a board including university professors and engineers and employs around a dozen people primarily based in Boston.