[License-review] AGPL timeline & why cautious processes with real-world testing are better (was Re: For approval: The Cryptographic Autonomy License (Beta 4))

[Henrik Ingo]

On Fri, Jan 3, 2020 at 10:57 AM Carlo Piana <osi-review at piana.eu> wrote:
> Dear Henrik,
>
>
> I think there is a big difference between being "endorsed" (hence, promoted, favorably advised for) and being included in a list of "approved" Free Software licenses, something of a detached, objective nature, much alike what happens here in OSI. Therefore Bradley is accurate here, from my standpoint, though I can't speak for FSF.
>
> AGPLv.3 was, conversely, endorsed.
>
> As far as I am aware, the only license whose name is not prepended by "GNU" and somewhat endorsed is the Apache license for non copyleft licensed works (and public domain, perhaps).

For sure this is a possible answer to my question, but I didn't want
to speculate on Bradley's answer, even if this was an obvious one that
comes to mind.

One reason I didn't want to write such speculation is because I feel
that if this indeed is the explanation, then I think in the context of
reviewing the CAL at OSI, Bradley's historical account becomes hugely
misleading. Nobody is expecting the OSI to endorse the CAL as
preferred-before-others. I guess I was kind of hoping the answer would
be something else, like merely poor memory.

>> I (we?) tend to think of this list as the FSF counterpart to OSI's list of approved licenses. (And when things go well, I would expect to find a FOSS license listed on both.) It seems to me that contrary to your narrative, the AGPL was indeed endorsed by the FSF as a free software license already in 2003. (And enthusiastically received by many of us, I remember!)
>
>
> Correct and incorrect at the same time, depending on the meaning attached to "endorsed".

I'm sure we will find out 5 timezones later...

henrik
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