Questions tagged [fsf]
The Free Software Foundation defined the term Free Software and is owner of the GNU-licenses.
18
questions
6
votes
1
answer
490
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Is the GNU All-Permissive License suitable for source code?
Text of the GNU All-Permissive License (also known as the "FSF All Permissive License"):
Copying and distribution of this file, with or without modification,
are permitted in any medium ...
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10
votes
3
answers
870
views
Has the FSF ever commented on the SSPL?
When MongoDB submitted the Server Side Public License to the OSI for approval, the OSI has publicly announced that they do not consider it an open-source license.
Has the FSF (or, if relevant, a ...
- 203
2
votes
1
answer
539
views
Confused about GNAT's contradicting licensing terms
After researching GNAT's Ada compiler licensing, I'm very confused. I understand AdaCore's GPL 3 license requires distributing the source if it's linked to the runtime, while FSF's GPL 1 offers an ...
- 121
3
votes
1
answer
229
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Does the iPhone contains GPL-ed software? If so, is it legal?
I am watching this talk.
At 9:54 the speaker says that there is GPL software in the iPhone (he says "you will see the GNU Public License").
Is it true?
Doesn't GPL forbids redistribution in ...
- 307
3
votes
1
answer
43
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Does using a GPL v2.1 as a resource in studying count as derivative work?
I came across source code for an AI that plays some classic video games. It's licensed as:
GNU LESSER GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE Version 2.1,
I understand the Gnu license pretty well and if I were to ...
- 131
5
votes
2
answers
3k
views
GPLv3 - Explicit version number / "or any later version" - Implications?
This is my understanding about how software licenses work in most jurisdictions — I add this, because it might help to clearify things:
When I attach a license to a program, the license governs my ...
- 153
9
votes
1
answer
1k
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What are the details of this accusation regarding the "web app loophole"?
I was recently reading an article, and I came across the following text (emphasis mine):
Even that most notorious of “Communist” licenses often cited by
paranoid executives as examples of anti-...
- 201
-1
votes
1
answer
100
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How the big open source firm guarantees their rights [closed]
How big open source companies (Mozilla, Apache, Mysql) enforce their rights for their published code as open source.
Take the case of Mozilla, which has invested in the development of its source code,...
-2
votes
1
answer
152
views
Practical steps to licence Free software and Open Source Projects [closed]
Several discussions have supported the subject of a software license and the majority are limited to offer explanations or definitions (GNU GPL, EULA, BSD License ... etc) without addressing the ...
7
votes
1
answer
87
views
How can a repository host comply with a foreign takedown order ethically?
Item C2 in the Free Software Foundation's Ethical Repository Criteria requires that a repository host, such as Savannah or GitLab, "not discriminate [...] against any country". How can this be done ...
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9
votes
1
answer
450
views
Copyright assignments in Germany
When contributing to some of their projects, the FSF requires you to assign the copyright to your work to the FSF. As I'm German, I'm interested in whether this is compatible with German law.
German ...
- 193
16
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Why does the FSF make this recommendation about ranges of copyright years?
In the document “How to use GNU licenses for your own software”, the FSF says:
For software with several releases over multiple years, it's okay to use a range (“2008-2010”) instead of listing ...
- 313
2
votes
0
answers
139
views
What significance & advantages does the OSI say about open source?
At the Philosophy of the GNU Project, there is one page Why we must insist on free software which states the importance/significance and advantages of free software.
So, I want to know what OSI ...
- 2,082
9
votes
3
answers
317
views
What does the Open Source Initiative say about proprietary software?
I found that FSF considers proprietary software to be unethical (bold emphasis mine):
Proprietary Software Is Often Malware
Proprietary software, also called nonfree software, means software ...
- 2,082
5
votes
0
answers
27
views
Are there any licenses considered free by the OSI and not by the FSF and Vice Versa? [duplicate]
Are there any licenses considered free by the OSI and not by the FSF and Vice Versa?
They both seem to further the same point, and all the licenses I saw they both agreed that it was either free or ...
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7
votes
1
answer
333
views
Why does the FSF continue to use the word "free" if it's ambiguous?
The word "free" is often considered to be unclear, and ambiguous. As such, the word is often used in conjunction with the word "libre", as seen in this answer.
In the spirit of clarity, the word "...
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13
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Why are only so few Linux distributions listed by the GNU project?
The GNU project has a list of free GNU/Linux distributions. But it lists only a few Linux distros, although hundreds do exist. Even more, very common distributions like Debian, Linux Mint or Gentoo ...
- 11.2k
18
votes
2
answers
477
views
Is there a term that means "Free Software and/*or* Open Source (Software)"?
The term Free Software is typically associated with software licensed under an FSF-approved license (The Free Software Definition), and the term Open Source (Software) is typically associated with ...
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