GPL License - GNU General Public License

2025-07-30   blogpage sketch

GPL = GNU General Public License

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_General_Public_License

www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.en.html

“Free software developers frequently champion copyleft licensing, like the GNU General Public License (GPL). Copyleft licenses attach themselves, like a virus, to any code that uses them. That means any code containing GPL-licensed code must also be licensed under GPL. So if a company like Facebook uses GPL-licensed code in its mobile app, that app must also be licensed under GPL. As one can imagine, copyleft licenses aren’t commercially friendly, because companies must license their own software on the same terms.”

• Excerpt From The Making And Maintenance Of Open Source Software (book) by Eghbal
  

AWS, MongoDB, and the Economic Realities of Open Source

• MongoDB uses (A)GPL
  

• Redis Labs used permissive license, but then added commons clause for add-ons
  

Why does Vitalik now prefers GPL over full permissive MIT license - Why I used to prefer permissive licenses and now favor copyleft

Richard Stallman's The GNU GPL and the American Way

GNU General Public License (GPL):

A free software license that ensures users have the freedom to:

• Run the software for any purpose
  

• Study the source code and learn from it
  

• Share the software with others
  

• Modify the software and distribute the changes
  

Key aspects:

1. Copyleft: Any modifications or derivatives must also be distributed under the GPL.
   

2. Free: The software is free to use, modify, and distribute, but not necessarily free of cost.
   

3. Source code: The source code must be made available when distributing the software.
   

4. No warranties: The software is provided "as is" with no warranties or guarantees.
   

5. Compatibility: GPL-licensed software can be combined with non-GPL software, but the resulting work must be distributed under the GPL.
   

Implications:

• Open-source: GPL promotes open-source development and collaboration.
  

• Community-driven: GPL encourages community involvement and contributions.
  

• Restrictions: GPL can limit the use of GPL-licensed software in proprietary products.
  

Common uses:

• Linux: The Linux kernel is licensed under the GPL.
  

• Open-source software: Many open-source projects, such as WordPress and Drupal, use the GPL.
  

Domain (AI Generated)

Open-Source Licensing or Software Licensing

World-class best people (AI Generated)

Some notable figures associated with the GNU General Public License (GPL) include:

1. Richard Stallman: Creator of the GPL and founder of the Free Software Foundation.
   

2. Linus Torvalds: Creator of the Linux kernel, which is released under the GPL.
   

3. Eric S. Raymond: Open-source advocate and author, known for his work on the GPL and open-source movement.
   

4. Lawrence Lessig: Lawyer and advocate for free and open-source software, who has worked on GPL-related issues.
   

5. Eben Moglen: Lawyer and professor, who has worked on GPL enforcement and free software licensing.
   

Internet Resources

Hackernews

• hn ref
  

  • ,
    

• GNU Justified Public License hn ref
  

  • 85 points, 58 comments
    

• hn ref
  

  • ,
    

Lesswrong

• cicero225/llm_pokemon_scaffold lw
  

• The Strangest Thing An AI Could Tell You lw
  

• proceedings.pdf lw
  

Lobsters

• lobste.rs ref
  

  • 83
    

        comments<br>

• lobste.rs ref
  

  • 72
    

        comments<br>

• lobste.rs ref
  

  • 62
    

        comments<br>

PeruserAI, ChatGPT, Claude

Wikipedia, Github, Stack Overflow, Quora, Reddit

Google, Youtube, Google Images, Google Scholar