From 8b4afe95c1c4cd000beed50e37b6f9843fd68813 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Norman Feske Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2017 11:18:35 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] News item about the license update to AGPLv3 --- doc/news.txt | 35 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 35 insertions(+) diff --git a/doc/news.txt b/doc/news.txt index 5469ba53d..457c4285d 100644 --- a/doc/news.txt +++ b/doc/news.txt @@ -4,6 +4,41 @@ =========== +Open-source license update | 2017-02-21 +####################################### + +| With the upcoming version 17.02, Genode will adopt the GNU Affero General +| Public License (AGPLv3) as its regular open-source license. + +Since our first release in 2008, Genode has been available under two flavors +of licenses addressing different user bases. With Genode's regular open-source +license, we address the Free-Software community, researchers, and technology +enthusiasts. With the commercial license, Genode Labs enables product vendors +to leverage Genode's technology for their businesses. + +For our open-source license, we originally picked the time-tested GNU General +Public License version 2 (GPLv2). However, the time did not stand still. After +9 years, it is time to update the license to a more recent version. After +careful review of the open-source licensing landscape, we settled on the GNU +Affero General Public License (AGPLv3), which is based on the GNU GPLv3 and +thereby rectifies several shortcomings of the GPLv2. Furthermore, it closes +loopholes of the GPLv3 license with respect to web applications. Unlike 2008 +when most applications were programs executed directly on the end user's +computer, web applications have become predominant by now. + +To address possible concerns about the interoperability of the AGPLv3 with +other open-source licenses, Genode's license will be accompanied with a +linking-exception clause that clarifies our consent to link Genode with all +commonly established open-source licenses. + +In December, we presented our plan of the license change to the subscribers of +Genode's mailing list. The following constructive +[https://sourceforge.net/p/genode/mailman/genode-main/thread/585116C8.2020607%40genode-labs.com/#msg35550569 - discussion] +within the community helped us to refine our linking clause and to create a +common understanding of the rationale behind our licensing choice. Thanks to +everyone who participated in this discussion! + + Road Map for 2017 | 2017-01-17 ##############################