[Sheflug] Free Software Foundation Releases GNU Affero General Public License Vers

[Richard Ibbotson <richard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello there

I thought some of us might like to read this....


From: 	Brett Smith
Subject: 	Free Software Foundation Releases GNU Affero General Public 
License Version 3
Date: 	Mon, 19 Nov 2007 11:21:16 -0500

Free Software Foundation Releases GNU Affero General Public License 
Version 3

BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA---Monday, November 19, 2007---The Free
Software Foundation (FSF) today published the GNU Affero General 
Public License version 3 (GNU AGPLv3). This is a new license; it is 
based on version 3 of the GNU General Public License (GNU GPLv3), but 
has an additional term to allow users who interact with the licensed 
software over a network to receive the source for that program. By 
publishing this license, the FSF aims to foster user and development 
communities around network-oriented free software.

The GNU GPL allows people to modify the software they receive, and 
share those modified versions with others, as long as they make 
source available to the recipients when they do so. However, a user 
can modify the software and run the modified version on a network 
server without releasing it. Since use of the server does not imply 
that people can download a copy of the program, this means the 
modifications may never be released. Many programmers choose to use 
the GNU GPL to cultivate community development; if many of the 
modifications developed by the programs users are never released, 
this can be discouraging for them. The GNU AGPL addresses their
concerns. The FSF recommends that people consider using the GNU AGPL 
for any software which will commonly be run over a network.

Both GPLv3 and the GNU AGPL allow developers working on a project 
under one license to combine it with code released under the other. 
As a result, programmers who want to use the GNU AGPL for their own 
work can take advantage of the many libraries and other source files 
available under GPLv3. Developers working on GPLv3-covered projects 
will often be able to use modules under the GNU AGPL with minimal 
hassle as well, since the GNU AGPL's additional term has no 
requirements for software that doesn't interact with users over a 
network.

FSF board member Benjamin Mako Hill said, "The GNU GPL has been the 
most successful free software license because it makes a program's 
source available to its users. This enables massive collaboration 
between developers, since everyone gets the same benefits from this 
rule. The GNU AGPL will enable the same kind of cooperation around 
web services and other networked software."

A first draft of the GNU AGPL was published on June 5, and a second 
draft on August 14. The FSF heard comments on both through its 
web-based feedback system. "The GNU AGPL is very much a community 
license," said Peter Brown, Executive Director of the FSF. "The 
feedback we received while working on GPLv3 demonstrated a clear 
desire for this sort of license. And thanks to the community's help 
during the drafting, we're happy that the GNU AGPL meets those 
needs."

The final license is published at
http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/agpl-3.0.html.


About The Free Software Foundation

The Free Software Foundation, founded in 1985, is dedicated to 
promoting computer users' right to use, study, copy, modify, and 
redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and 
use of free (as in freedom) software---particularly the GNU operating 
system and its GNU/Linux variants---and free documentation for free 
software. The FSF also helps to spread awareness of the ethical and 
political issues of freedom in the use of software. Its Web site, 
located at www.fsf.org, is an important source of information about 
GNU/Linux. Donations to support the FSF's work can be made at 
http://donate.fsf.org. Its headquarters are in Boston, MA, USA.


Media contact

Brett Smith
Licensing Compliance Engineer
Free Software Foundation
617-542-5942 x18

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