ברוכים הבאים ל-GPLv3

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גירסה רשמית של המהדורה השלישית של הרישיון הציבורי הכללי של פרוייקט GNU תשוחרר היום (ו'), לאחר דיון ציבורי פתוח ומספר טיוטות, ותחת ביקורת נוקבת בנוגע לאופי הפוליטי של השינויים שמציעה קרן התוכנה החופשית (FSF). האם הקרן הצליחה להשיג את המטרות המקוריות שהניעו אותה ליזום עדכון לרישיון שמשמש כמחצית מפרוייקטי הקוד הפתוח והתוכנה החופשית?

בין השינויים החשובים ב-GPLv3: בינאום והתאמת הרישיון לשפה וסדרי משפט בינלאומי, כמו גם הסרת סעיפים שתלויים במשפט האמריקאי, התאמת השפה לסטנדרטים משפטיים מקובלים, העברה אוטומטית של רישיון שימוש בפטנטים, מניעת אפשרות לקביעת הסדרי פטנטים בלעדיים, מניעת הגבלת שימוש על ידי הספקת מידע מלא ומניעת הסתרה על ידי חומרה ותאימות עם רישיונות חופשיים נפוצים.

נובל תוכל להמשיך ולהפיץ את לינוקס, אבל מה הייתה "תרומתה" של העסקה עם מיקרוסופט לעניין ובכלל, איך נתייחס לרישיון החדש שנה מהיום? למרות שברור שפרוייקטים רבים "ישודרגו" אוטומטית (בגלל הסעיף שמציין "גירסה נוכחית" של הרישיון), האם GPLv3 יהפוך לרישיון המועדף? איך הוא יתקבל על ידי המפתחים, המשתמשים ולא פחות חשוב, חברות ועסקים.

לואיס וילה, סטודנט למשפטים שהיה חבר בועדות עבודה שונות שקשורות ב-GPLv3 (חדשות), מנסה להשיב לאחדות מהשאלות הללו ורבות אחרות, בסידרת פוסטים מפורטת ומרשימה בהיקפה:

חלק ראשון
חלק שני (מפתחים)
חלק שלישי (עסקים)
חלק רביעי

מידע נוסף
ZDNet, Final GPLv3 draft leaves Novell in the clear
IT Business Edge, Leading Industry Experts Discuss the Impact of GPLv3

לינמגזין, אבן מוגלן על גוגל וקהילת התוכנה החופשית והקוד הפתוח (וידאו)
לינמגזין, TiVo מאויימת על ידי השינויים הצפויים ב-GPLv3
לינמגזין, טורבאלדס: כן ל-GPLv3... אם סאן תשחרר את אופן סולאריס תחת הרישיון החדש
לינמגזין, 34 מפתחים במחקר ממומן על ידי מיקרוסופט מתנגדים לסעיף הפטנטים ב-GPLv3

Launch of GNU GPLv3
From: Peter Brown
Subject: Launch of GNU GPLv3
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 15:12:55 -0400

On Friday, June 29, at 12 noon (EDT), the Free Software Foundation will
officially release the GNU GPL version 3. Please join us in celebration
as we bring to a close eighteen months of public outreach and comment,
in revision of the world's most popular free software license.

Beyond the creation of an improved license, the process of drafting
version 3 has helped highlight vital issues for the community of free
software users. This is a moment to thank the thousands who participated
by commenting on the license, and those that represented stakeholders
through the GPLv3 committee process.

Now with the release of GPLv3, we will see new defenses extended to free
software. These defenses will continue the long history of fighting all
efforts to make free software proprietary.

Please join us as we stream live footage of Richard Stallman announcing
GPLv3 from Noon (EDT) at www.fsf.org.

If you are in the Boston area you can also join us at the FSF offices
from 11:30am. Please let us know at  if you would like to
attend.

--
Peter T. Brown
Executive Director        
Free Software Foundation  
51 Franklin St. 5th Floor
Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA

אפשרויות לתצוגת תגובות

בחרו באפשרות התצוגה הרצויה, ולחצו על "שמור הגדרות".

ההודעה הרשמית ...

ההודעה הרשמית

FSF releases the GNU General Public License, version 3

BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA—Friday, June 29, 2007—The Free Software Foundation (FSF) today released version 3 of the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL), the world's most popular free software license.

“Since we founded the free software movement, over 23 years ago, the free software community has developed thousands of useful programs that respect the user's freedom. The programs are in the GNU/Linux operating system, as well as personal computers, telephones, Internet servers, and more. Most of these programs use the GNU GPL to guarantee every user the freedom to run, study, adapt, improve, and redistribute the program,” said Richard Stallman, founder and president of the FSF.

Version 3 of the GNU GPL strengthens this guarantee, by ensuring that users can modify the free software on their personal and household devices, and granting patent licenses to every user. It also extends compatibility with other free software licenses and increases international uniformity.

Jeremy Allison, speaking on behalf of the Samba team, states that they see the new license as “a great improvement on the older GPL,” and that it is “a necessary update to deal with the new threats to free software that have emerged since version 2 of the GPL.”

The warm embrace of much of the community should come as no surprise, for the license is the final result of an unprecedented drafting process that has seen four published drafts in eighteen months. These were the basis for a discussion that included thousands of comments from the public. This feedback, along with input from committees representing the public and private sectors, and legal advice from the Software Freedom Law Center, was used in writing the text of GPL version 3.

“By hearing from so many different groups in a public drafting process, we have been able to write a license that successfully addresses a broad spectrum of concerns. But even more importantly, these different groups have had an opportunity to find common ground on important issues facing the free software community today, such as patents, tivoization, and Treacherous Computing,” said the Foundation's executive director, Peter Brown.

Tivoization and Treacherous (aka, “Trusted”) Computing are schemes to prevent users from utilizing modified or alternate software. The former simply blocks modified software from running; the latter enables web sites to refuse to talk to modified software. Both are typically used to impose malicious features such as Digital Restrictions Management (DRM). GPL version 3 does not restrict the features of a program; in particular, it does not prohibit DRM. However, it prohibits the use of tivoization and Treacherous Computing to stop users from changing the software. Thus, they are free to remove whatever features they may dislike.

Karl Berry, long-time GNU developer and Texinfo maintainer, believes that “the GPL is the fundamental license that ties the free software community together, and version 3 does an excellent job of updating the license to the present-day computing reality.” Elated by the new patent clause, he bemoans software patents as “a scourge on our cooperative efforts.”

Over fifteen GNU programs will be released under the new license today, and the entire GNU Project will follow suit in the coming months. The FSF will also encourage adoption of the license through education and outreach programs. “A lot of time and effort went into this license. Now free programs must adopt it so as to offer their users its stronger protection for their freedom,” Stallman said.
About the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL)

The GNU GPL is the most widely used free software license worldwide: almost three quarters of all free software packages are distributed under this license. It is not, however, the only free software license.

Richard Stallman wrote the version 1 and 2 of the GNU GPL with legal advice from Perkins, Smith & Cohen. Version 1 was released in 1989, and version 2 in 1991. Since 1991, free software use has increased tremendously, and computing practices have changed, introducing new opportunities and new threats. In 2005, Stallman began revising the GPL for version 3. In January 2006, the FSF began a systematic process of public review and feedback, with legal advice and organizational support from the Software Freedom Law Center.
About the GNU Operating System and Linux

Richard Stallman announced in September 1983 the plan to develop a free software Unix-like operating system called GNU. GNU is the only operating system developed specifically for the sake of users' freedom. See http://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html.

In 1992, the essential components of GNU were complete, except for one, the kernel. When in 1992 the kernel Linux was re-released under the GNU GPL, making it free software, the combination of GNU and Linux formed a complete free operating system, which made it possible for the first time to run a PC without non-free software. This combination is the GNU/Linux system. For more explanation, see http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html.

The GNU components in the GNU system will be released under GPL version 3, once it is finalized. The licensing of Linux will be decided by the developers of Linux. If they decide to stay with GPL version 2, then the GNU/Linux system will contain GNU packages using GNU GPL version 3, alongside Linux under GNU GPL version 2. Many other packages with various licenses make up the full GNU/Linux system.

About Free Software and Open Source

The free software movement's goal is freedom for computer users. Some, especially corporations, advocate a different viewpoint, known as “open source,” which cites only practical goals such as making software powerful and reliable, focuses on development models, and avoids discussion of ethics and freedom. These two viewpoints are different at the deepest level. For more explanation, see http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html

The GNU GPL is used by developers with various views, but it was written to serve the ethical goals of the free software movement. Says Stallman, “The GNU GPL makes sense in terms of its purpose: freedom and social solidarity. Trying to understand it in terms of the goals and values of open source is like trying understand a CD drive's retractable drawer as a cupholder. You can use it for that, but that is not what it was designed for.”

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 contacts:
Brett Smith
Licensing Compliance Engineer
Free Software Foundation
617-542-5942x18
brett_AT_fsf.org

John Sullivan
Campaigns Manager
Free Software Foundation
617-542-5942×23
johns_AT_fsf.org

Joshua Gay
Campaigns Manager
Free Software Foundation
617-542-5942×19
jgay_AT_fsf.org
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Created by josh

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