license_quick_ref.html, v0.9.8.7

Karsten M. Self kmself at ix.netcom.com
Sun Jan 6 00:55:17 UTC 2002


on Sat, Jan 05, 2002 at 04:57:15AM -0800, Zooko (zooko at zooko.com) wrote:
> 
> Folks:
> 
> I have cleaned up license_quick_ref.html a bit.
> 
> http://zooko.com/license_quick_ref.html
> 
> You are all welcome to submit bug reports or patches and I would appreciate it!
> 
> I intend to begin a companion document which is more inclusive --
> license_quick_ref.html itself is currently constrained to a minimal
> set of licenses, namely the ones that I think a free software hacker
> should seriously consider: MIT/BSD-new, LGPL, GPL, MPL.
> 
> Actually, I really don't see why anyone chooses MPL over LGPL, 

The two licenses offer different levels of applicability (or
"inheretence").

The LGPL allows linking without conferring a licensing obligation.
Modifications, on a file-by-file basis, to the library itself, would
require the contributions to be LGPL licensed.

The MozPL allows different licensing terms on a file-by-file basis.  If
a contributor wished to create a new file, which would compile or link
into a MozPL-covered work, the terms of licensing for that file are up
to the contributor.

The aims are also slightly different.

The LGPL was used to make GPL licensing more paletable, essentially by
creating a larger set of GPL-compatible works, of use to works not
licensed under the GPL, and not directly licensable under the terms of
the GPL.  It's another strategy for spreading the concept of free
software.

The MozPL was used to make free software / open source licensing more
paletable, by allowing other contributors to make their own, possibly
proprietary, extensions of a work based on the core work.  This could be
the primary author itself (e.g.:  Netscape / AOL), or another entity.
The goal is to create a business model based around the concept of free
softare.

Peace.

-- 
Karsten M. Self <kmself at ix.netcom.com>        http://kmself.home.netcom.com/
 What part of "Gestalt" don't you understand?              Home of the brave
  http://gestalt-system.sourceforge.net/                    Land of the free
We freed Dmitry! Boycott Adobe! Repeal the DMCA! http://www.freesklyarov.org
Geek for Hire                      http://kmself.home.netcom.com/resume.html
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