In accordance with section 7b of the gnu affero general public license, you must retain the producer line in every pdf that is created or manipulated using itext. This requires them to send their data to the server, which does their computing for them and sends the results back to them. Affero general public license how is affero general public. The gnu affero general public license is a free, copyleft license published by the free software foundation in november 2007, and based on the gnu general public license, version 3 and the affero general public license. After all, the agpl must be the open source gift that keeps on giving to a company that makes money by first convincing customers that open source is risky and then selling them the way to derisk. But not much software uses these affero type licenses. For gpl programs running on your server, you are the user, for agpl, the real users of the app are the users of your website or service.
The gnu affero general public license is a free, copyleft license for software and. Hi, afaik, this is a derived work of itextsharp, an agpled library. Affero and gnu affero based on the gnu gpl version 2, version 1 of the affero gpl was published in 2002 by affero, inc. The affero general public license, a new variation of the seminal gpl, is now final. Shortly after the release of gpl3, the fsf released affero gpl 3. The agplv3s section states an additional condition not present in gplv2 or gplv3. If you intend to use the gpl d software strictly within. Advocates of the gnu general public license gnu gpl like to perpetuate the idea that programs released under it are free as in speech, not free as in beer.
Gnu affero gpl version 3 first discussion draft html. It is designed specifically for a situation the regular gpl doesnt address. For example, corresponding source includes interface definition files. Conditions on distributing ghostscript in a commercial context. I dont expect the license to be tested in court so quickly since id expec. The agpl makes straightforward commercial sense we use it for our open source product, flint. The first is the affero general public license, version 1 which was published by affero, inc. Gnu affero gpl version 3 and the asp loophole open source.
Agpl what you can do and what you cant software engineering. Gnu affero general public license simple english wikipedia. Both the ordinary gnu gpl, version 3, and the gnu affero gpl have text allowing you to link together modules under these two licenses in one program. Like the gnu general public license, the affero license allows you to use, copy and change the code of software, but requires that you release your changes if you distribute the software or you run a modified copy on a web server on the internet. In the end, though, the free software foundation decided that they would instead help affero create a new version of their licence based upon the gnu gpl v3 and allow software authors to choose which licence best suited their code and intentions. Gpl software can also be modified without restrictions, as long as the modified software is kept private.
The gnu affero general public license version 3 agplv3 is a copyleft license nearly identical to the gplv3. This public license applies to most of affero s software and to any other program whose authors commit to using it. We, the free software foundation, use the gnu general public license for most of our software. What is the difference between gpl, agpl and lgpl licenses. The gpl is a free software license, and therefore it permits people to use and even redistribute the software without being required to pay anyone a fee for doing so. It restricts you from using software to build nongpl software including bsdlicensed free software, but it prevents software from being taken private by commercial developers.
The implication is that gpled software is not necessarily free from cost, and therefore you can in fact license your programs under the gpl and still sell them for money. If this does happen, id probably look for mark radcliffes mradcliffe blog post to tell me about it. Gnu affero gpl version 3 and the asp loophole open. The affero gpl is designed to close the socalled application service provider loophole in the gpl, which lets asps use gpl code without distributing their changes back to. Dont believe the hype, agpl open source licensing is. Provision 2 effectively prevents the development of proprietary commercial products that incorporate gpl ghostscript without a commercial license. There is an earlier open source license known as the affero general public license that was not published by the free software foundation, which is not addressed in this article. We recommend that people consider using the gnu agpl for any. The gnu affero gpl by brett smith free software foundation. The affero gpl includes a provision that enables developers to download the source code. The licenses for most software and other practical works are designed to take away your freedom to share and change the works.
Well, first of all, you need a license to use any software except one, which is public domain in any way as for ghostscript at the moment artifex offers it under. In the gpl ghostscript fileset, and can also be obtained directly from the free software foundation. In fact, the fsf maintainers of the gpl have harsh words for licenses that try to restrict use of the software in any way. I have read many articles on gpl v2 licensing and i understand the main idea when one uses a library or piece of software that is gplbased, then the software, generally speaking, must become gpl as well. Media in category free software under the agpl the following 3 files are in this category, out of 3 total. The affero general public license affero gpl, agpl, and informally affero license refers to two distinct, though historically related, free software licenses. The term free software is older, and is reflected in the name of the free software foundation fsf, an organization founded in 1985 to protect and promote free software. The first version of the affero general public license agplv1, was published by affero, inc. The choice of licence comes down to personal preference, and both approaches can.
Saass means that users use someone elses web server to do their own computing. Nov 20, 2007 the affero general public license, a new variation of the seminal gpl, is now final. The gnu affero general public license is designed specifically to ensure that, in such cases, the modified source. Gpl software can be used anywhere, without restrictions.
Gnu affero gpl version 3 and the asp loophole submitted by michael tiemann on thu, 20070607 11. I have read many articles on gpl v2 licensing and i understand the main idea when one uses a library or piece of software that is gpl based, then the software, generally speaking, must become gpl as well. Anyone may modify gpl ghostscript, but the provisions of 1 apply to modified or derived works as well. The agpl license differs from the other gnu licenses in that it was built for network. See gnu general public license and free software foundation. We recommend that people consider using the gnu agpl for any software which will commonly be run over a network. Gnu affero gpl version 3 second discussion draft html. What happens if you use agpl software, but deploy it as a different application that your closedsource commercial one. The gnu affero general public license is designed specifically to ensure that, in such cases, the modified source code becomes available to the community. Affero gpl article about affero gpl by the free dictionary. The gnu affero general public license is a free, copyleft license for software and other kinds of works, specifically designed to ensure cooperation with the community in the case of network server software. Free software foundation releases gnu affero general. Affero general public license how is affero general.
The free software foundation has recommended that the gnu agplv3 be considered for any software that will commonly be run. The gnu general public license permits making a modified version and letting the public access it on a server without ever releasing its source code to the public. The affero general public license affero gpl and informally affero license is a free software license. Definition of gnu affero general public license pcmag. The gnu affero general public license is based on the gnu gpl, but has an additional term to allow users who interact with the licensed software over a network to receive the source for that program. This definition appears very frequently and is found in the following acronym finder categories. In 2007, the gnu affero gpl was published by the free software foundation and was based on gnu gpl version 3. Why the gpl is incompatible with commercial software. Gnu affero general public license gnu project free.
Gnu agplgpl3gnu affero general public licenseagplv3. Feb 25, 2006 advocates of the gnu general public license gnu gpl like to perpetuate the idea that programs released under it are free as in speech, not free as in beer. The gnu affero general public license is a free, copyleft license published by the free software foundation in november 2007, and based on the gnu general public license, version 3 and the affero general public license the free software foundation has recommended that the gnu agplv3 be considered for any software that will commonly be run over a network. 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. The free software foundation has recommended that the gnu agplv3 be considered for any software that will commonly be run over a network. This is a comparison of free and opensource software licenses. The affero gpl v3 imposes that all derived works are distributed under the same licence, recursively thus, right now everyone that linked your library without distributing their source code over the internet at least to their own final users is violating the itextpdfs corporate s. The agpl makes straightforward commercial sense we use it. Gpl, also known as copyleft, grants permission to reuse or modify the source code to make derivative works, but if you distribute your program to others, it requires you to license your derivative work under the gpl too. You are supposed to have the same freedoms with saas as you do with client software.
Unter gpl lizenzierte software darf fur alle zwecke ausgefuhrt werden auch kommerzielle. Relationships between the gpl licences and other software are carefully explained in the gpl faq. What agpl does on top of gpl is the redefinition of user. The affero gpl license, for instance, applies copyleft restrictions to vendors that provide software over a computer network, without distribution. The second is the gnu affero general public license, version.
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. A gnu license for developers who make their software available to users on network servers. Gnu affero gpl version 3 first discussion draft html gplv3. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license. Boston, massachusetts, usamonday, november 19, 2007the free software foundation fsf today published the gnu affero general public license version 3 gnu agplv3. The gpl is tactically less free, but strategically more free. Affero general public license free definitions by babylon. Since then, network services have become a standard and a very common form of software delivery. Mar 31, 2011 the affero gpl is designed to close the socalled application service provider loophole in the gpl, which lets asps use gpl code without distributing their changes back to the open source community. The term open source was coined by christine peterson and adopted in 1998 by the founders of the open source initiative. Gnu affero general public license article about gnu. Free software foundation releases gnu affero general public. The gnu affero general public license agpl ghostscript. A covered work means either the unmodified program or a work based on.
Gnu affero general public license article about gnu affero. I would need them for my visual studio 20 which has only basic. Describes the ability to use the software for commercial purposes. It keeps your code bona fide open source, so people who want to use and extend it noncommercially can do so without worrying about you at all. I again dont so much care about the ethics bsds just fine as i do about the commercial impact.
It restricts you from using software to build non gpl software including bsdlicensed free software, but it prevents software from being taken private by commercial developers. Jan 26, 2018 second, a small minority of copyleft licenses do apply to saas vendors. Top 10 gnu gpl license questions answered whitesource. You can be released from the requirements of the license by purchasing a commercial license. Both licenses have the same copyleft scope, but materially differ in one important way. Does commercial use of ghostscript as saas needs a licence. The comparison only covers software licenses with a linked article for details, approved by at least one expert group at the fsf, the osi, the debian project or the fedora project. This public license applies to most of afferos software and to any other program whose authors commit to using it. Comparison of free and opensource software licenses. Frequently answered questions open source initiative. Apr 17, 2010 the gpl is tactically less free, but strategically more free. Verwendung gpllizenzierter komponenten in kommerziellen. Mar 01, 2002 by contrast, the affero 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. Why the gnu affero gpl gnu project free software foundation.
License will continue to apply to the part which is the covered work, but the special requirements of the gnu affero general public license. If you intend to use the gpld software strictly within. Comparison of free and opensource software licenses wikipedia. Gnu affero general public license wikipedia, a enciclopedia. Ohhhh, now i get itthis is an attempt to make modify in the agpl mean something different from modify in the gpl itself, such that you can do things that would be considered modifying in the gpl and hence trigger copyleft and claim they dont constitute modifying for purposes of the extra proviso in the agpl and hence wont trigger copyleft, so you can incorporate agpl code into. The gnu affero gpl does not address the problem of service as a software substitute saass. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page. The gnu affero general public license is a copyleft license for software that is intended to be run on web servers like web applications. Agpl stands for affero general public license suggest new definition this definition appears very frequently and is found in the following acronym finder categories. Aug 14, 2007 the gnu general public license permits making a modified version and letting the public access it on a server without ever releasing its source code to the public.
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