Gnu lgpl information this library is free software. Other important licenses we publish include the gnu lesser general public license gnu lgpl, the gnu affero general public license gnu agpl and the gnu free document license gnu fdl. Gnu general public license, version 1 open source initiative. Read more about our free software licensing and related issues. Gnu general public license a software license from the free software foundation fsf that ensures every user receives the essential freedoms that define free software, which is free of restrictions see free software. This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but without any warranty. The gnu general public license gnu gpl or simply gpl is a widely used open source software license, originally written by richard stallman for the gnu project. When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not price. Approximately 70% of free software packages are released under.
Free software is a matter of liberty, not price free. The fsf provides critical infrastructure and funding for the gnu project, the foundation of the popular gnu linux family of free operating systems and the keystone of the internet. Such new versions will be similar in spirit to the present version, but may differ in detail to address new problems or concerns. By contrast, 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. This page is maintained by the free software foundation s licensing and compliance lab. Gnu general public license article about gnu general public.
You can watch fsf president richard stallman announce the official release. You should have received a copy of the gnu general public license along with this program. See the download page for other maintained versions. The free software foundation may publish revised andor new versions of the gnu lesser general public license from time to time. Jun 09, 2016 the gnu general public license gnu gpl or simply gpl is a widely used open source software license, originally written by richard stallman for the gnu project. The gnu lesser general public license is meant for free software that allows linking with non free software. Nov 19, 2007 boston, massachusetts, usamonday, november 19, 2007the free software foundation fsf today published the gnu affero general public license version 3 gnu agplv3. Front page free software foundation working together. Permission is granted to copy, distribute andor modify this document under the terms of the gnu free documentation license, version 1.
The gpl license grants the users irrevocable rights to use, modify and redistribute software even commercially under the condition that software or its derivatives retain the gpl license and that the source code is included or. By contrast, the gnu general public license is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free softwareto make sure the software is free for all its users. See the gnu general public license for more details. Jun 29, 2007 boston, massachusetts, usafriday, june 29, 2007the free software foundation fsf today released version 3 of the gnu general public license gnu gpl, the worlds most popular free software license. This general public license applies to most of the free software foundations software and to any other program whose authors commit to using it. Gnu free software directory free software foundation. Comparison of free and opensource software licenses. The free software foundation, founded in 1985, is dedicated to promoting computer users right to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute computer programs. The gnu general public license is often called the gnu gpl for short. The fsf promotes the development and use of free as in freedom softwareparticularly the gnu operating system and its gnulinux variantsand free documentation for free software. The gnu general public license is available in these formats. Our campaigns team creates educational materials about free software, convenes the yearly libreplanet conference and goes toe to toe against powerful interests that. It was originally called the gnu library gpl, but the name was changed to remove the implication that all libraries should be licensed this way. This license, the lesser general public license, applies to some specially designated software packagestypically librariesof the free software foundation and other authors who decide to use it.
Winscp is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but without any warranty. The gnu general public license gnu gpl or simply gpl is a widely used free software license, originally written by richard stallman for the gnu project. Gnu general public license article about gnu general. The free software foundation today released the second discussion draft of the gnu affero general public license gnu agpl. To make it free software, you need to release it under a free software license. It complements the gnu general public license, which is a copyleft license designed for free software. See our licensing recommendations, analysis, and faq.
This general public license applies to most of the free software foundation s software and to. Final draft of gplv3 changes the patent playing field wired. Also add information on how to contact you by electronic and paper mail. The gnu general public license gnu gpl or gpl is a widely uised free saftware license, which guarantees end uisers the freedom tae run, study, share an modify the saftware. Free software foundation targets microsofts smart assistant in. Gnu general public license version 2 open source initiative. Fsf releases the gnu general public license, version 3. The first version of the affero general public license agplv1, was published by affero, inc.
License winscp free sftp and ftp client for windows. Each version is given a distinguishing version number. The licenses were originally written by richard stallman, former head of the free software foundation fsf, for the gnu project, and grant the recipients of a computer program the rights of the free software definition. This license, the library general public license, applies to some specially designated free software foundation software, and to any other libraries whose authors decide to use it.
Plantuml distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but. You can support our efforts by making a donation to the fsf. The gnu general public license gnu gpl or gpl is a series of widely used free software licenses that guarantee end users the freedom to run, study, share, and modify the software. Html, plain text, odf, docbook v4 or v5, texinfo, latex, markdown, and rtf. Since its introduction in 1997, gnupg is free software meaning that it respects your freedom. The free software foundation fsf is a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded by richard stallman on 4 october 1985 to support the free software movement, which promotes the universal freedom to study, distribute, create, and modify computer software, with the organizations preference for software being distributed under copyleft share alike terms, such as with its own gnu general public license. 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. 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 gnu lesser general public license lgpl is a freesoftware license published by the free software foundation fsf. Gnu is composed wholly of free software, most of which is licensed under the gnu projects own general public license gnu is a recursive acronym for gnu s not unix. Also called gpl and gnu gpl, it was created to distribute the software of the. This license is based on gplv3 with a new requirement to ensure that users who interact with the software over a network can receive the source for that program. For a list of licenses not specifically intended for software, see list of free content licenses.
We have designed this license in order to use it for manuals for free software, because free software needs free documentation. Gnu general public license unofficial ubuntu wiki fandom. This general public license applies to most of the free software foundation s software and to any other program whose authors commit to using it. Gnu general public license wikipedia, a enciclopedia livre. 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. The free software foundation fsf is a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded by richard stallman on 4 october 1985 to support the free software movement, which promotes the universal freedom to study, distribute, create, and modify computer software, with the organizations preference for software being distributed under copyleft share alike terms, such as with its own gnu general. The fourth and final draft of version 3 the gnu general public license was released by the free software foundation late thursday. You can use it too, but we suggest you first think carefully about whether this license or the ordinary general public license is the better strategy to use in any particular case, based on the explanations below.
Gnu general public license general public license gnu general public licensea software license from the free software foundation fsf that ensures every user receives the essential freedoms that define free software, which is free of restrictions see free software. Gplcompatible software is software whose conditions of propagation, modification and use would permit combination with gcc in accord with the license of gcc. 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. The gnu lesser general public license, also known as the lgpl, is a more permissive version of the gpl if opensource software is licensed under the lgpl, other software by contrast, libraries licensed under the gnu lesser general public license lgpl may be linked to proprietary applications. The license wis oreeginally written bi richard stallman o the free software foundation fsf for the gnu project, an grants the recipients o a computer program the richts. He will discuss the philosophy of the gnu gpl, the changes made in version 3, and the reasons for those changes. If you have a particular question about a free software license, theres a good chance youll find an answer on one of the pages below. Jun 29, 2007 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. The gplv3 addresses multiple issues central to the debate over. Free software foundation releases gnu affero general public license version 3 by brett smith contributions published on nov 19, 2007 10. Also called gpl and gnu gpl, it was created to distribute the software of the gnu operating system see gnu.
Some other free software foundation software is covered by the gnu library general public license instead. Gnu general public license free software foundation inc. Gnu general public license mythemes affordable wordpress. We have a number of online resources as well as communitybased and paid support. The following licenses are in use for r or associated software such as packages.
It can be freely used, modified and distributed under the terms of the gnu general public license. The gnu lesser general public license lgpl is a free software license published by the free software foundation fsf. The creative commons attributionsharealike international license version 4. The affero general public license affero gpl and informally affero license is a free software license. The fsf campaigns for free software adoption and against proprietary software. The gnu general public license free software foundation. 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. This is a comparison of free and opensource software licenses. Free software foundation releases gnu affero general public. Jun 29, 2007 we, the free software foundation, use the gnu general public license for most of our software. Free software foundation releases gnu affero general. This general public license applies to most of the free software foundations software and to. Gnu general public license gpl gnu lesser general public license lgpl gnu affero general public license agpl gnu free documentation license fdl answers to common questions.
Free software licensing resources free software foundation. Under this philosophy, the gpl grants the recipients of a computer program the rights of the. We, the free software foundation, use the gnu general public license for most of our software. Fsf releases the gnu general public license, version 3 free. Gnu public license article about gnu public license by the. The gpl is an example of a copyleft license that requires derived works to be available under the same copyleft. Gnu public license article about gnu public license by. Lesser means the license does less to protect the users freedom than the regular gnu gpl.
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