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. Gplv2 and gplv3 are versions of the gnu public licenses gpl, a wellknown license for free software. 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. Gplv3 faq update permission to change release consider this situation. Apache 2 software can therefore be included in gplv3 projects, because the gplv3 license accepts our software into gplv3 works. Among the two gpl is the basis of open source software for programmers.
Wel is het zo dat praktisch alle vrije software gratis te downloaden is en als men. This article explains why upgrading the license is important. Comparison of free and opensource software licences wikipedia. First of all, it is important to note that upgrading is a choice. Frequently asked questions about the gnu licenses gnu. Gary is correct there are no differences with respect to ownership. The gnu general public license gnu gpl or gpl is a series of widely used free software. How can i make sure each user who downloads the binaries also gets the source. Why upgrade to gplv3 gnu project free software foundation. These licenses are compatible with the gnu gpl version 2. The new license version contains a series of clauses that address questions that were not or were only insufficiently covered in version 2 of the gpl.
Ernest park recently wrote a comparison on between two software licenses, the european union public license v1. The gnu affero gpl does not address the problem of service as a software substitute saass. Well, this assumes that you are either selfemployed, or not employed under a contract such that your company owns your code. A strategy towards mutual interoperability between he eupl and the gpl family. The gnu gpl is the most widely used free software license and has a strong copyleft requirement. Difference between gplv2 and gplv3 difference between. The free software foundation considers the apache license, version 2. The most widespread such license is the gnu general public license, or gnu gpl for short. This is a comparison of free and opensource software licences. Frequently asked questions about the gnu licenses gnu project. Most gpl version 2 software is actually licensed as gpl version 2 or any. Is convey in gplv3 the same thing as what gplv2 means by distribute. A strategy towards mutual interoperability between he eupl and the gpl family gplv3. This can be further shortened to gpl, when it is understood that the gnu gpl is the one intended.
The fsf recommends at least compatible with gpl and preferably copyleft. Note that more licenses are compatible with gplv3 than gplv2. Although his comparison is quite extensive, i cannot agree with his conclusions, most of which may be. Gplv3 of june 29, 2007 contains the basic intent of gplv2 and is an open source license with a strict copyleft what types of licenses are there for open source software, and how do they differ. Gpl s main purpose is to promote the free availability and use of software for any purpose and for any user. Please download the eupl licence in your preferred language.
Gplv2 vs gplv3 gplv2 and gplv3 are versions of the gnu public licenses gpl, a wellknown license for free software. Version 3 of the gnu general public license gnu gpl has been released, enabling free software packages to upgrade from gpl version 2. The gpl is also liked with the free software foundation fsf the gplv2 licence dates back to 1991 and when the fsf started thinking about a new revision in 2006 it was obvious that information technology had changed enormously. The gpl is also liked with the free software foundation fsf. Saass means that users use someone elses web server to do their own computing. Here is a video of linus torvalds where he explains his opinion on gplv3. The main author of both licenses is richard stallman. This license, commonly known as the gpl, has two versions that are actively and.
The software freedom law center provides practical advice for developers about including permissively licensed source. There are multiple variants of the gnu gpl, each with different requirements. You can go from gplv3 to gplv2, so long as you remove all the gplv3andup code. When distributing derived works, the source code of the work must be made available under the same license. Most commonly gplv2 or any later version is stated by users of the license. As a result the question of adding gplv3 to the compatibility list became actual and the eupl v1. The difference between the gpl and the lgpl is that with the lgpl, the entire work doesnt have to have the same license. Does the gpl allow me to distribute a modified or beta version under a nondisclosure.
Both the ordinary gnu gpl, version 3, and the gnu affero gpl have text allowing you to link together modules under these two licenses in one program. Backwards compatibility is complicated, and forward isnt much better. The aim of gplv3 is to replace the gplv2 1991 which needed. However, the language of the license text was strongly amended and is much more comprehensive in response to technical and legal changes and international license exchange.
Because gpl v2 and v3 are incompatible, it is illegal to release linux under v3. What is the difference between gpl and lgpl in terms of. Fundamentally however, no big difference between v. In contrast to lgpl, gpl requires that you provide the code for all changes made to the software. Y contributes to the development of v2 with changes and new code based on v1. In late 2005, the free software foundation fsf announced work on version 3 of the gpl gplv3.