Slashdot Mirror
Your License Is Your Interface
dp619 writes "License-free software has become a thing. Only 14.9% of repositories on GitHub have a license, according to recent Software Freedom Law Center research. Red Monk has observed that this trend is occurring principally among younger software developers. Outercurve Foundation technical evangelist Eric Schultz has offered up his opinion, saying, 'As an active developer I want to add a slightly different perspective on the dangers of releasing unlicensed software. My perspective is based on a simple phrase: "Your License Is Your Interface."' He adds, 'A license similarly defines the interaction between the software, or more precisely the creators of the software, and users. Just like an interface, a license defines intended behavior of users of the software, such as the four essential freedoms or the ten pillars of the Open Source Definition. Just like an interface, a license prevents unintended behavior of users of the software, which depending on the open source license, may disclaim the original author of liability for use of the software, prohibit redistribution without recognizing the original author or prohibit distribution of derivatives under a more restrictive license. When it comes to legal use and distribution of your software, your license IS your interface.'"
Default: public domain
not in any jurisdictions that are party to the Berne Convention.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
If that is your wish, release under BSD
Legally the default is all rights reserved, so putting no license means that nobody can legally distribute or derive from your code
Snowden and Manning are heroes.
Here's the other thing: without a license I can't use a copy. All software is copyrighted by default, unless there's an explicit dedication to the public domain. Absent a license, only the author of the software may make and distribute copies of it. So with no license on the software I'm OK looking at it on Github of the like, but making a copy of it onto my machine to build, use and redistribute as part of my own software is right out. I have no license from the copyright holder to make and distribute those copies. So if your software doesn't include a license? I can't safely touch it nor can I use it.
If you want to put no restrictions on reuse of your code, put it under something like the BSD or Apache license. But if you don't put it under some license, it's automatically under a license that says "You may not copy or redistribute this work, nor may you make and distribute works based on or derived from this work.".
The problem with posts like this is always equivocating on the word "use".
It happens so much it's hard not to see it as deliberate.
Using GPL software is of course free for everyone.
It's redistribution and derivative works that have restrictions--far relaxed from those imposed by copyright law.
The definition of obfuscation is to confuse, bewilder, or stupefy, or to make obscure or unclear.
In security, the normal rule is that the algorithm chosen should still be secure _even if the attacker knows what it is_.
On the other hand, passwords, crypto keys, etc. are all pieces of data that are secrets. This is a very different thing from obscure.
Under the Berne Convention, copyright must be automatic.165 countries are parties to it.
There are about 200 countries in the world.
Maybe you have a private definition of "most"?
If you want to use GPL code, your own code has to be GPL. The GPL isn't viral or dangerous. It's saying to software developers like you: you can't ride for free on the GPL train and then close up your own code. It's not denying you any freedom. You can write all the closed code you want, and even steal all the BSD code you want to make your life easier. The goal of an author of GPL code isn't to make sure everyone can use it. The goal of an author of GPL code is to make sure everyone else *in the GPL-compatible software community* can use it. They don't *want* your shitty company that writes proprietary code to use their GPL code.