[sf-lug] Fwd: Free Software Foundation Releases GNU Affero General Public License Version 3

[jim stockford]

> 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
> brett at fsf.org
>
> ###
>
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