Understanding Open Source Licenses

A rewrite of a TechCrunch article with just the key points using NotebookLM along with additional notes -


Open Source Software (OSS) forms as much as 90% of the modern software stack. This includes frameworks, libraries, databases, operating systems, and standalone applications.

Benefits of Open Source

  • Greater control and transparency for users.

Challenges of Open Source

  • A constant struggle between open source and proprietary software.
  • Many companies shy away from open source to protect their commercial interests due to licensing complexities.

Types of Open Source Licenses

There are two main categories of open source licenses:

  1. Permissive Licenses: Allow significant freedom to modify and distribute software, making them popular for commercial use.
  2. Copyleft Licenses: Offer similar freedoms but require any modified versions to be distributed under the same original license, which can be less appealing to companies protecting proprietary work.

Deep Dive: Permissive Licenses

MIT License

  • The most popular open source license.
  • Key Features:
    • Use the software however you like.
    • No warranties or liability for the authors.
    • Include the original copyright and license in derivative work.
  • Shortcoming: No explicit patent grant, potentially causing legal uncertainty.
  • Strengths: Simple, concise language (only 200 words).
  • Examples:
    • React (JavaScript library)
    • Ruby (programming language)
    • Bootstrap (CSS framework)
    • Angular
    • Vue.js
    • .NET Core
    • Node.js
    • Three.js

Apache License 2.0

  • Published in 2004 with an explicit patent grant to protect users from litigation.
  • Automatically licenses any patents held by the developer to all users of the software.
  • Examples:
    • Android Open Source Project (AOSP)
    • TensorFlow (machine learning library)
    • Kubernetes
    • Hadoop
    • VSCode
    • Spring Framework
  • Trade-off: More complex and longer than the MIT License due to patent grant provisions.

Other Permissive Licenses

  • 2-Clause BSD License: Similar to MIT but requires the license to be included with the source code and compiled binary.
    • Examples: FreeBSD (operating system), SQLite (database engine)
  • 3-Clause BSD License: Includes a "no endorsement" clause, preventing the use of copyright holders' names for promotion.
    • Examples: NetBSD, OpenCV (computer vision library), Redis, Chromium, Flask 
  • MIT No Attribution License (MIT-0): No attribution requirement in derivative work. 

Deep Dive: Copyleft Licenses

GNU General Public License (GPL) v2.0 and 3.0

  • Suited for: Community-driven projects.
  • Key Feature: Requires all modifications to remain under the same open source license.
  • Examples:
    • Linux kernel (GPL 2.0)
    • Git
    • WordPress (GPL 2.0 “or later”)
    • Drupal
    • VLC Media Player (GPL 2.0)
    • GIMP

GNU Affero General Public License (AGPL) 3.0

  • Focus: Web-based services and applications.
  • Examples:
    • Nextcloud (cloud storage software)
    • MongoDB (formerly AGPL, now SSPL)
    • Mastodon
    • GitLab (Community Edition)
    • SugarCRM

GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL)

  • "Weak" copyleft license; more business-friendly.
  • Typical Use: Software libraries.
    • Examples: FFmpeg (media processing library), Glib (low-level core library for GNOME).

Mozilla Public License 2.0

  • Examples:
    • Firefox (web browser)
    • Rust Programming Language (before switching to Apache/MIT)
    • LibreOffice (dual-licensed with LGPL)

Public Domain and Alternatives

Unlicense

  • Places software entirely in the public domain without restrictions.
  • Examples: Public domain works like many small utility scripts.

Creative Commons CC0 1.0

  • Examples: Used for datasets and creative works like open-access music and images.

Other Considerations

  • Dual-licensing: Offering both open source and commercial options (e.g., MySQL).
  • Open core: Open source software with some features requiring payment (e.g., Elasticsearch).
  • Commons Clause: Adding commercial restrictions to permissive licenses.
  • Source-available licenses:
    • Server Side Public License (SSPL): MongoDB.
    • Business Source License (BUSL): MariaDB.

Ethical Source Licenses

  • Restricts the use of software based on ethical considerations.
  • Examples:
    • Hippocratic License: Prohibits use that violates human rights.
    • JSON license: Prohibits use for "evil."

Considerations For Choosing The Right License:

  1. Consider your project's goals (community vs commercial)
  2. Think about dependencies and their licenses
  3. Understand your company's policies
  4. Consider the ecosystem norms (e.g., most JavaScript projects use MIT)
  5. Factor in patent protection needs

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