The Affero GPL (AGPL)

[Michael Bernstein]

Philippe Ombredanne wrote:
> 
> May I suggest the following:
> If you are looking for a license that :
> - has a strong reciprocity clause like the GPL,
> - makes it so that an external network deployment is a akin to a
> redistribution,
> Then you should consider the Open Software License, which has all those
> attributes, and is OSI approved.

After briefly researching the OSL, I should add that it does not meet an 
additional criteria which hadn't yet managed to articulate: I would like 
the license to minimize incompatibilities with the GPL.

I am aware that the AGPL is *not* compatible with GPL V2, but I believe 
that getting an exemption from the copyright holder of GPL code WRT the 
AGPL will generally be easier than doing so for an OSL work.

Also, the AGPL is at least intended to be upwardly compatible with GPL 
V3 (whether it ends up being so in practice remains to be seen, of course).

Over the long term, an AGPL-like approach seems to minimize (though of 
course not eliminate) my licensing headaches for combining my work with 
GPL code.

-- 
- Michael R. Bernstein  |  Author of Zope Bible
   michaelbernstein.com  |  & Zope.org Webmaster
      panhedron.com      |    PythonPhotos.org