We use only licenses that are compatible with the gnu gpl for gnu software. Jun 29, 2007 by contrast, the gnu general public license is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change all versions of a programto make sure it remains free software for all its users. We, the free software foundation, use the gnu general public license for most of our software. You can watch fsf president richard stallman announce the official release.
Plantuml distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but. The free software foundation fsf maintains a list of what it considers free. By contrast, the gnu general public license is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free software to make sure the software is free for all its users. By contrast, the gnu general public license is intended to guarantee the. Gnu general public license gpl gnu lesser general public license lgpl gnu affero general public license agpl gnu free documentation license fdl answers to common questions. The gnu gpl allows users to change and share all versions of a program. Free software foundation article about free software. This license, the lesser general public license, applies to some specially designated software packagestypically librariesof the free software foundation and other authors who decide to use it. The licences for most software are designed to prevent users from sharing or changing it. Gnu general public license a software license from the free software foundation fsf that ensures every user receives the essential freedoms that define free software, which is free of restrictions see free software. We normally use the gnu general public license gnu gpl, specifying version 3 or any later version, but occasionally we use other free software licenses. Gnu licenses the gnu general public license gpl is a popular license for free software projects. You can help to make sure that free software is always free by.
Creative commons recommends and uses free and open source software licenses for software. The free software foundation may publish revised andor new versions of the gnu affero general public license from time to time. Such new versions will be similar in spirit to the present version, but may differ in detail to address new problems or concerns. We have designed this license in order to use it for manuals for free software, because free software needs free documentation. This general public license applies to most of the free software foundation s software and to. General public license article about general public. The licenses for most software are designed to take away your freedom to share and change it. Oct 30, 2017 in 1985, stallman built on the gnu project by founding the free software foundation fsf, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the concept of free software to the wider public. You should have received a copy of the gnu general public license along with this program. When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom of use.
General public license article about general public license. See the gnu general public license for more details. By contrast, most software carries fine print that denies users these basic rights, leaving them susceptible to the whims of its owners and vulnerable to surveillance. Gnu general public license free software foundation inc. The license allows developers and companies to use and integrate a software component released under the lgpl into their own even proprietary software without being required by the terms of a strong copyleft license to release the source code of their own components. The gnu general public license is often called the gnu gpl for short. Gnu lesser general public license version 3, 29 june 2007 copyright c 2007 free software foundation, inc. In such case, this license incorporates the limitation as if written in the body of this license. Free software foundation wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. See the gnu lesser general public license for more details. Free software is everywhere these days, inside our computers, phones, and even televisions.
The organization created the gnu operating system as an example of this. Nov 19, 2007 boston, massachusetts, usamonday, november 19, 2007the free software foundation fsf today published the gnu affero general public license version 3 gnu agplv3. The license was originally written by richard stallman of the free software foundation fsf for the gnu project. By contrast, most software carries fine print that denies users these basic rights, leaving them susceptible to the. It complements the gnu general public license, which is a copyleft license designed for free software. Fsfs free software and osis opensource licenses together are called foss licenses. The gnu affero general public license is a free, copyleft license for software and other kinds of works, specifically designed to ensure cooperation with the community in the case of network server software.
Free software foundation licenses list open source initiative approved licenses read more software. Its list distinguishes between free software licenses that are compatible or incompatible with the fsfs copyleft gnu general public license. Gnu lgpl information this library is free software. Front page free software foundation working together. Gnu free documentation license free software foundation. The difference between free and opensource software. Free software foundation releases gnu affero general public. Gnu library general public license version 2 open source initiative. Gpl is provided through the free software foundation, a nonprofit corporation that works to provide free software for the gnu project. The free software foundation may publish revised andor new versions of the gnu lesser general public license from time to time. The licenses were originally written by richard stallman, former head of the free software foundation fsf, for the gnu project, and grant the recipients of a computer program the rights of the free software. Jun 29, 2007 we, the free software foundation, use the gnu general public license for most of our software. Also called gpl and gnu gpl, it was created to distribute the software of the gnu operating system see gnu.
General public license legal gpl, note us spelling the licence applied to most software from the free software foundation and the gnu project and other authors who choose to use it. Stallman would also later develop the gnu general public license, a software license which guarantees the rights of endusers to run, view, and share source. Free software foundation simple english wikipedia, the. Free software developers guarantee everyone equal rights to their programs. To make it free software, you need to release it under a free software license. The gnu general public license is a widely used free software license that guarantees end users the freedom to run, study, share, and modify the software. The original purpose of the fsf was to promote the ideals of free software. Boston, massachusetts, usafriday, june 29, 2007the free software foundation fsf today released version 3 of the gnu general public license gnu gpl, the worlds most popular free software license. The free software foundation fsf is a nonprofit with a worldwide mission to promote computer user freedom. Learn about other free and open source software licenses at these sites.
Free software licensing resources free software foundation. The gnu general public license gpl is a widely used license for free software projects. Free software foundation releases gnu affero general. A nonprofit organization founded in 1985 by richard stallman, dedicated to eliminating restrictions on copying and modifying programs by promoting the development and use of freely redistributable software. Gnu general public license is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free software all versions of a programto make sure the software is it remainsfree softwarefor all its users. When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not price. Gnu general public license winmerge is free software. The gnu general public license gnu gpl or gpl is a series of widely used free software licenses that guarantee end users the freedom to run, study, share, and modify the software. Top 10 best open source softwares that rocks world wide web. Some other free software foundation software is covered by the gnu lesser general public license instead.
This license is based on gplv3 with a new requirement to ensure that users who interact with the software over a network can receive the source for that program. Free software foundation working together for free software. The free software foundation today released the second discussion draft of the gnu affero general public license gnu agpl. Gnu affero general public license gnu project free. With so much free software being distributed every day, we have to remain vigilant against potential violations. The current version version 3 was released in june 2007. Open source licenses are licenses that comply with the open source definition in brief, they allow software to be freely used, modified, and shared. The free software foundation prefers copyleft sharealike free software licensing rather than permissive free software licensing for most purposes. The fsf has also published the gnu lesser general public license lgpl, the gnu free documentation license gfdl, and the gnu affero general public license agpl. Richard stallman biography, free software foundation. The free software foundation may publish revised andor new versions of the general public license from time to time. When hackers contribute to these projects, we ask that they assign their to enable us to enforce the license. Gnu general public license wikipedia, a enciclopedia livre.
The free software foundation may publish revised andor new versions of the gnu general public license from time to time. Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a page. If you have a particular question about a free software license, theres a good chance youll find an answer on one of the pages below. By contrast, the gnu general public licenses are intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free softwareto make sure the software is free for all its users. With the release of a free operating system, stallman and the free software foundation focused on promoting free software and the development of the gnu general public license gnu gpl, commonly known as a copyleft agreement, which gives authors a way to allow their works to be modified without releasing them to the public. The gnu general public license gpl is a free, copyleft license used primarily for software.
Gplv3 third discussion draft free software foundation. You can use it too, but we suggest you first think carefully about whether this license or the ordinary general public license is the better. Comparison of free and opensource software licenses. The gnu general public license gpl version 2, june 1991 copyright c 1989, 1991 free software foundation, inc. Free software foundation and other authors who decide to use it. Free software foundation releases gnu affero general public license version 3 by brett smith contributions published on nov 19, 2007 10. The licenses were originally written by richard stallman, former head of the free software foundation fsf, for the gnu project, and grant the recipients of a. Gnu general public license, version 1 open source initiative. Fsf releases the gnu general public license, version 3. There are licenses accepted by the osi which are not free as per the free software definition. In late 2005, the free software foundation fsf announced work on version 3 of the gpl gplv3.
You should have received a copy of the gnu lesser general public license along with this library. By contrast, the gnu general public license is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change all versions of a programto make sure it remains free software for all its users. The gnu lesser general public license lgpl is a free software license published by the free software foundation fsf. Subject to the terms and conditions of this beopen python license agreement, beopen hereby grants licensee a nonexclusive, royaltyfree, worldwide license to reproduce, analyze, test, perform andor display publicly, prepare derivative works, distribute, and otherwise use the software alone or in any derivative version, provided, however. To use the free software foundation s gnu general public license, see how to use gnu licenses for your own software. The free software foundation holds the to many gnu packages, such as gcc and gnu emacs. You can use it too, but we suggest you first think carefully about whether this license or the ordinary general public license is the better strategy to use in any particular case, based on the explanations below. Aug 16, 2019 the fsfs main licence is called general public license or gpl. Also add information on how to contact you by electronic and paper mail. The gnu general public license gnu gpl or gpl is a widelyused free software license, which guarantees end users the freedom to run, study, share and modify the software. The free software foundation, license steward of the lgpl, regards this license as having been superseded by lgpl version 3.
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