The gnu general public license gnu gpl or gpl is a widelyused free software license that guarantees end users the freedom to run, study, share, and modify the software. You should have received a copy of the gnu lesser general public license along with this library. These files are designed to be used by lice, a commandline license generator for software projects. Software projects licensed with the optional or later clause include the gnu project, while a prominent example without the clause is the linux kernel. This license allows you to modify the template and its sources to suit your needs. It produces a consistent, easytouse, and wellunderstood. The gnu general public license exists to protect the liberties of software creators and users alike. If you should know, there are several other open source licenses too, some of which claim to offer even more freedom than the gpl such as mozilla public license, bsd licence, apache 2. The gnu gpl is the most widely used free software license and. Copies published by the free software foundation raise funds for gnu development. The gnu free documentation license gnu fdl or simply gfdl is a copyleft license for open content such as software.
Ive been looking for various licenses that i can use for an opensource project of mine, but all of the projects that ive seen, with all kinds of licenses, appear to have a giant, obnoxious in my. Click on the default license and press the duplicate button. To make it free software, you need to release it under a free software license. Source code licence agreement docular legal documents. You can support our efforts by making a donation to the fsf. The template uses variables as placeholders to substitute values specified by lice. Wordpress uses the gnu public license, which provides a platform for technical expansion. It was launched in 1983 by richard stallman rms and has been developed by many people working together for the sake of freedom of all software users to control their computing. Gnu general public license version 2 open source initiative. It was initially created for use with software documentation, but can be applied to other types of works as well, such as wikipedia. Gnu public license is all but free and you should never use.
It is a freely distributed program for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. This template includes styles and suggestions for documentation to be published using the gnu free documentation license. Gimp is an acronym for gnu image manipulation program. The first version of the affero general public license agplv1, was published by. The gnu general public licence is an excellent example of this. The spirit of openness and sharing has thrived within the wordpress community because of. They led to a new era of software development where sharing and improving as a community is more valuable than selling proprietary software maybe because we stopped selling software altogether and started selling services. See the gnu lesser general public license for more details. We normally use the gnu general public license gnu gpl, specifying version 3 or any later version, but occasionally we use other free software licenses. It was made up by the free software foundation fsf for the gnu project. We, the free software foundation, use the gnu general public license for. Just open the netbeans template manager by clicking tools. Automatic report generator automatic report generator is a minietl api which allows to retrieve data through an sql query towa. Mar 05, 2009 just open the netbeans template manager by clicking tools.
Sharing or selling blender addons python scripts blenders python api is an integral part of the software, used to define the user interface or develop tools for example. The license was originally written by richard stallman, former head of the free software foundation fsf, for the gnu project, and grants the recipients of a computer. The terms of usage and rules about copying are clearly listed in the gnu general public license. Gnucash is personal and smallbusiness financialaccounting software, freely licensed under the gnu gpl and available for gnu linux, bsd, solaris, mac os x and microsoft windows. By contrast, the gnu general public license is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change all versions of a programto make sure it remains free software for all its users. Gnu general public license version 3 open source initiative. How to use gnu licenses for your own software gnu project. Software licence agreement free templates by seq legal. The gnu general public licence version 3 is a popular and widely used. The free software license acts as a notice to users and is not a contract. In many cases, the software licences used with such software will be quite different to those used in proprietary software. This page is maintained by the free software foundations licensing and compliance lab. It lets people do almost anything they want with your project, like making and distributing closed source versions. Introduction gimp is an acronym for gnu image manipulation program.
The gnu general public license is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free software to make sure the software is free for all its users. In contrast, free software licenses are used for software that the user can copy, change, and redistribute. Gimp about gimp gimp gnu image manipulation program. Starterwarefree for am335x this is the community driven variant of starterwaretm 2. Open source licenses grant permission for anybody to use, modify, and share licensed software for any purpose, subject to conditions preserving the provenance and openness of the software. The gnu lesser general public license lgpl is a free software license published by the free software foundation fsf. It was made up by the free software foundation fsf for the gnu. The gnu general public license is known as a completely free software license providing you the full overall flexibility to customize and therefore make use of the software exactly the way you. It produces a consistent, easytouse, and wellunderstood configuration script that allows end users and systems integrators to tailor software packages for their installation environments, almost always without any manual intervention. The gnu, or general public license, is a free software license that offers users freedom to operate, study, share, and modify the software. Free software yes if the license meets the free software definition, no if not.
Why should i use the gnu gpl rather than other free software licenses. It is the coonterpairt tae the gnu gpl that gies readers the same richts tae copy, caw aboot an modifee a wark an requires aw copies an affcomes tae be tae haund unner the same license. Contribute to licenseslicense templates development by creating an account on github. Gnu is an operating system which is 100% free software. For the gnu free documentation license, we have a separate page. To develop wordpress themes for the publiceither free or paid you need to get acquainted with the gnu general public license gpl that wordpress uses. If you buy a template released under gnu general public license v3. The gnu free documentation license gnu fdl or cutty gfdl is a copyleft license for free content, designed bi the free saftware foondation fsf for the gnu project. For further information, see our list of frequently asked questions about our licenses. This is a brief explanation of how to place a program under the gnu general public license, gnu lesser general public license, or gnu affero general public license. Users are given far greater degrees of freedom and may create derivative works based on the original software. Gnu free documentation license simple english wikipedia.
Wordpress uses the gnu public license, which provides a platform for technical expansion and encourages adaptation and innovation. For example, some eulas are considered workstation licenses since they only. The following licenses are sorted by the number of conditions, from most gnu agplv3 to none unlicense. Permission is granted to copy, distribute andor modify this document under the terms of the gnu free documentation license, version 1. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled gnu free documentation license. Open source licenses grant permission for anybody to use, modify, and share licensed software for any purpose, subject to conditions preserving the provenance and openness of the. Most gpl version 2 software is actually licensed as gpl version 2 or any later version, or. A software license agreement template will help you create a license agreement to protect your software. Cupstm is provided under the gnu general public license gpl and gnu. How to use gnu licenses for your own software gnu project free. Frequently asked questions about the gnu licenses gnu project. Tldrlegal software licenses explained in plain english. To protect yourself legally, all of your companys software should be covered by a license agreement. You have freedom to copy and modify this gnu manual, like gnu software.
Gnumeric starts up quickly and handles large spreadsheets while remaining responsive. Wordpress is an open source software project, and a fierce believer in the values of the open web. If you need a document that covers support and maintenance, as well as licensing, you should look at our software licence, support and maintenance agreements on. For example, if you distribute copies of such a program, whether gratis or for a. Within the gnu website, a list of projects is laid out and each project has specifics for what type of developer is able to perform the task needed for a. The gnu general public licence version 3 is a popular and widely used licence. The licenses for most software and other practical works are designed to take away your freedom to share and change the works. Sample software license agreement provisions findlaw.
Yes if the license meets the free software definition, no if not. Gnu lesser general public license version 3 open source. Gnumeric and its source code are available free of charge, licensed under the terms of the gnu general public license version 2 or version 3. Gpl compatible yes if software licensed under the license can be combined with software licensed under the. This template is designed as a navigation aid to the most significant articles about the gnu project. Frequently asked questions about the gnu licenses gnu. Nov 02, 2016 the gnu general public license exists to protect the liberties of software creators and users alike. For example, if you distribute copies of such a program, whether gratis or for a fee. The affero general public license affero gpl and informally affero license is a free software license. This template is to be used as a guide for creating free software manuals using the gnu free documentation license v1. The license allows developers and companies to use and integrate a software component released under the lgpl into their own even proprietary software without being required by the terms of a strong copyleft license to release the source code of their own components. Docular helps you to create professional legal documents. Well take a look at what exactly a free software license is, and how it differs from the typical proprietary software license.
An effort that started with the free software foundation fsf in 1991, its now a popular choice for open source projects. Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files the software, to deal in the software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, andor sell copies of the software, and to permit. The gnu gpl license therefore requires that such scripts if published are being shared under a gpl compatible license. Open source licenses are licenses that comply with the open source definition in brief, they allow software to be freely used, modified, and shared. Information on whether a given license meets this criterion may be found at the fsfs various licenses and comments about them gpl compatible yes if software licensed under the license can be combined with software licensed under the gnu general public license, no if not. A software license agreement, also known as an enduser license agreement, is a. Gnu free documentation manual template gfdl libreoffice. This really has nothing to do with the gnu gplit applies no matter which free software license you use to release the program. Learn more about this license, and discover what can and cannot be done under it. Gpl compatible yes if software licensed under the license can be combined with software licensed under the gnu general public license, no if not. It is not meant to have exhaustive lists incomplete or complete of. Explaining and understanding the gnu general public. Gplv3 gives making available to the public as an example of propagation. Zimbracommunitysignaturetemplate is licensed under the.
May 09, 2017 gnu autoconf is a popular build system that sees extensive use for linux source code packages. The gnu gplv3 also lets people do almost anything they want with your project, except distributing. Although software developers may jealously guard their. Designed to be easy to use, yet powerful and flexible, gnucash allows you to track bank accounts, stocks, income and expenses. We use only licenses that are compatible with the gnu gpl for gnu software. Jun 25, 2019 in contrast, free software licenses are used for software that the user can copy, change, and redistribute. This module is distinguished from others serving a similar purpose by a clear distinction between programming and layout.
Gnu autoconf is a popular build system that sees extensive use for linux source code packages. Whether or not your software program is available for purchase in hundreds of retail shops, or in case you created a wellliked piece of freeware, you will probably need to discuss your use with your clients. Well take a look at what exactly a free software license is, and how it differs. Explaining and understanding the gnu general public license. Gnu general public license, version 3 spdx short identifier.