[License-discuss] Intimacy in open source (SSPL and AGPL)

[Lawrence Rosen]

Bruce Perens wrote:

> While Larry is happy to create another license which implements a limited copyleft, the Free Software Foundation's purpose is, of course, Free Software. So, while all manner of things could be done to facilitate addition of proprietary software to software under one of their licenses, they have done what they think is necessary to support that in issuing LGPL and GPL-with-exception, and simply aren't interested in going any farther.

 

Bless them. Nobody can demand more from a licensor. And yes, Larry is also happy with OSL 3.0.

 

The problem is that the GPL licenses aren't the entire story. Please note that the subject of this email includes "SSPL and AGPL". So, although FSF isn't interested, there are many licensees and licensors who are interested in solving this open source licensing problem for networked software.

 

The letters "GPL" aren't the entire answer.

 

/Larry

 

 

From: Bruce Perens <bruce at perens.com> 
Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2019 12:30 PM
To: Lawrence Rosen <lrosen at rosenlaw.com>; license-discuss at lists.opensource.org
Subject: Re: [License-discuss] Intimacy in open source (SSPL and AGPL)

 

 

 

On Wed, Jan 23, 2019 at 12:14 PM Lawrence Rosen <lrosen at rosenlaw.com <mailto:lrosen at rosenlaw.com> > wrote:

Gil Yehuda wrote:
> I wondered why we don't have an A/LGPL (or A/MPL, A/EPL) that addresses the "non-conveyed software gap" but also limits the scope of copyleft to the work itself.

 

We do. OSL 3.0.

 

This is missing the point. While Larry is happy to create another license which implements a limited copyleft, the Free Software Foundation's purpose is, of course, Free Software. So, while all manner of things could be done to facilitate addition of proprietary software to software under one of their licenses, they have done what they think is necessary to support that in issuing LGPL and GPL-with-exception, and simply aren't interested in going any farther.

 

This is important, because you will have all manner of unfulfilled expectations if you understand licenses, but don't understand the motivations of the people who create them.

 

    Thanks

 

    Bruce

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