Thank you both for the discussion on licensing. Seems that GPLv3 is a good choice for now. Wikipedia seems to claim that ReactOS is licensed under "GPLv2 or any later version" but I didn't find this on the reactos source code itself. If the ReactOS foundation has an objection later I can always change it to v2.
Best, Chang On Wed, Feb 23, 2022 at 12:09 AM G. Branden Robinson < [email protected]> wrote: > Hi Chamg, > > At 2022-02-22T23:29:21-0500, Chang Liu wrote: > > I just added a LICENSE file which is GPLv3. > > Good choice! > > > I'm honestly not sure what the difference between GPLv2 and GPLv3 > > There are modest differences, but the general thrust of both versions of > the license is the same: guaranteed access to source code under a "share > and share alike" principle. > > > is so I went with the latest version (I assume they are compatible?) > > Technically, no. But most GPLv2 software is licensed under terms that > allow promotion of the license to "any later version". One famous > example of an exception that is GPLv2-only is the Linux kernel. > So is seL4 itself[1]. Consider whether you expect to need to share code > with a GPLv2-only project. (Even if you do, I would only revisit your > decision once concrete code-sharing is imminent.) > > You're not stuck with a choice of a single license forever. The GPLv3 > is a good selection to start with (in my opinion) because most > organizations that would like to exploit a work for proprietary > advantage are allergic to that license. > > You can always relicense a work under more permissive terms later if > doing so would align better with your goals. Going from more permissive > terms (like a BSD-style license) to a copyleft (like any version of the > GPL) can be impractical, or result in unintended consequences, because > it is arguably impossible to rescind the permissive license on the older > versions of the code--unless you have an Apple- or Oracle-sized budget > for lawyers to intimidate rivals maintaining the old code base. > > There is probably a better forum for licensing discussions, but my view > is that you've made a perfectly reasonable choice, one that situates > your project squarely and clearly within the Free Software community, > while still leaving you the option to reconsider later. > > Regards, > Branden > > [1] https://microkerneldude.org/2019/12/09/what-does-sel4s-license-imply/ > _______________________________________________ Devel mailing list -- [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected]
