What is the difference between gpl, agpl and lgpl licenses. Tim oreilly addresses this while making yet another argument for. Therefore, the functionality of software licensed under the gpl could be made available to users without being required to provide source code, modify the code, or allow further distribution. Open source licensing for software as a service ross.
Thus saas is an allowed usage, not an attack vector. Last night, i read the last draft of gplv3 on my cell phone during dinner in orlando. The big news in free software land is the patent peace deal between microsoft and novell and the suse vouchers microsoft is planning to sell. However, gplv3 software cannot be included in apache projects. The free software foundation may publish revised and or new versions of the gnu lesser general public license from time to time. Eben on gplv3 and saas someone just asked eben moglen about why gplv3 didnt stick to its original intention to apply the gpl to distribution on the web, by which i mean distribution of software. The licenses were originally written by richard stallman, former head of the free software foundation fsf, for the gnu project, and grant the recipients of a computer program the rights of the free software.
Users can access the applications over the internet via a web browser and additional software. The free software foundation considers the apache license, version 2. Open source came before, if not provided a platform for, software as a service. Indeed, gplv3 uses the term convey rather than distribute, precisely to clarify that saas use does not trigger any license requirements. Can i use the gplv3 license for my commercial application. Any modifications of this code base must be distributed with the same license, gplv3.
Jun 29, 2007 the gnu general public license is a free, copyleft license for software and other kinds of works. You can license your commercial application under the gplv3 license as long as you comply with the terms of the gplv3 license. Saas use of opensource software is not distribution who. Its a widely held belief that you cant mix gpl code and code covered by other open source licenses.
Gplv3 also removed the final sentence of gplv2 section 7, which the fsf consider to be unnecessary. May 12, 2015 software as a service and gnu gpl licensing is not complex, the motto of the license is for disallowing the softwares to control the users and modify, distribute, develop, use the softwares with full freedom along with the other points written in the license. A quick guide to gplv3 gnu project free software foundation. Nov 21, 2007 the free software foundation has published a new opensource software license aimed at developers whose code is used for software asaservice. Mar 05, 2010 i recently answered a linkedin question about whether providing software as a service saas is considered a distribution under the opensource gnu general public license. The following licenses are sorted by the number of conditions, from most gnu agplv3 to none unlicense. The vouchers have no expiration date so if just one voucher is redeemed after suse releases any gplv3 ed software then all recipients of that gplv3 ed software are safe from any microsoft patent attacks. You may discover, however that these terms do not work so well in your favor, since one of the terms prevents you from a. The free software foundation may publish revised andor new versions of the gnu lesser general public license from time to time. However, gplv3 software could only be combined and share code with gplv2 software if the gplv2 license used had the optional or later clause and the software was upgraded to gplv3.
Open source, gpl and saas one of them is the ability to make good use of gpled software. Revised versions of the gnu lesser general public license. Open source licenses grant permission for anybody to use, modify, and share licensed software for any purpose, subject to conditions preserving the provenance and openness of the software. Software licensed with any gnu license can be used and even modified everywhere, including in a corporate environment, without any restrictions. By contrast, the gnu general public license is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change all versions of a. The affero general public license affero gpl and informally affero license is a free software license. Fsf approves affero gpl for saas apps business ecommerce. The free software foundation few days ago released the gnu general public license version 3, as earlier draft versions it doesnt fix the saas loophole, leaving unhappy some entrepreneurs a substantial hole, by rich. If youre known by the enemies you keep, then software as a service received a boost the other day when it was bashed by richard stallman, the freesoftware gnuru. Weve built a company with exceptional people who are passionate about ecommerce. I recently answered a linkedin question about whether providing software as a service saas is considered a distribution under the opensource gnu general public license. Mar 29, 2007 gplv3 and software as a service by brett smith contributions published on mar 29, 2007 09.
Nov 20, 2007 the fsf had contemplated adding the ability to run software asaservice saas to gplv3, but chose instead to release the separate licence. The free software foundation has approved the affero gpl for software as a service applications, reports e commerce news. The final text of gplv3 is accompanied with a rationale document explaining the few changes since the last call draft. Software as a service by providing for situations in which software is accessible for use over a network, the new license reflects the growing trend toward software as a service saas. Its a commonly used term for setting up software on a server rather than offering copies of it to users, and we thought it described precisely the cases where this problem occurs. The gnu general public license gnu gpl or gpl is a series of widely used free software licenses that guarantee end users the freedom to run, study, share, and modify the software. At a regular closedsource software company, you cant include any software in your products that you get from the web which carries the gpl gnu public license, because this license requires all derived works to also use the gpl and be open source. The agplv3 is based on version 3 of the gpl but includes an additional terms to allow users who interact with the licensed software over a network to receive the source code for that program. This has not been a strategical decision, neither a tactic one, but the only available now. Tim oreilly has an interesting post on why the gplv3 took a pragmatic approach when it came to the saas loophole i. Software as a service and gnu gpl licensing is not complex, the motto of the license is for disallowing the softwares to control the users and modify, distribute, develop, use the softwares with full freedom along with the other points written in the license.
The first version of the affero general public license agplv1, was published by affero, inc. While i have already expressed my concerns commenting others posts, i believe it is time to tell it. The gpl saas loophole made headlines around the time the agpl was released. The free software foundation has published a new opensource software license aimed at developers whose code is used for softwareasaservice. Since gpl requires providing access to source code, and agplv3 section is an additional condition specifically added to plug the loophole in saaslike software, does not it imply that agplv3 also requires providing source code access, irrespective of whether it is modified or not. Jun 24, 2008 open source, gpl and saas one of them is the ability to make good use of gpled software. Effects of cloud computing on opensource compliance linux. Effects of cloud computing on opensource compliance. Is hosting a software as a saas offering considered as distribution under gpl.
Jul 24, 2018 the gpl saas loophole made headlines around the time the agpl was released. Stallman is such a control freak about his particular vision of software freedom that he. For example, it now also includes the standard libraries of common programming languages such as python and ruby. However, it is allowed to switch from the gplv3, to a variant, the affero gplv3 agplv3 that covers saas like the eupl. While the gplv2 or any later version clause is considered by fsf as the most common form of licensing gplv2 software, 44 toybox developer rob landley described. The licenses for most software and other practical works are designed to take away your freedom to share and change the works. The software author or license can not be held liable for any damages inflicted by the software. The software freedom law center provides practical advice for developers about including permissively licensed source. However, the language of the license text was strongly amended and is much more comprehensive in response to technical and legal changes and. Tim oreilly addresses this while making yet another argument for open data. 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.
We recommend that people consider using the gnu agpl for any. 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. This means that there is no problem with using lgpl libraries in a closedsource saas project. Fsf approves affero gpl for saas apps business linuxinsider. As far as the regular gpl and lgpl are concerned, providing access to use your software over a network like in saas is not considered distribution. While theres been a lot of discussion about the license since the first draft appeared, not many people have. Gplv3 of june 29, 2007 contains the basic intent of gplv2 and is an open source license with a strict copyleft what types of licenses are there for open source software, and how do they differ. Jul 12, 2007 free software vendors allied to these users joined in their objections, as did a number of free software developers arguing on ethical as well as practical grounds. However you must make available the sources to the software.
After a year and a half of public consultation, thousands of comments, and four drafts, version 3 of the gnu general public license was finally published on june 29, 2007. The original gpl treats software as a service as a private use of software, which means users could keep their changes private as well, yankee group analyst. Free software vendors allied to these users joined in their objections, as did a number of free software developers arguing on ethical as well as practical grounds. Gplv3 has adjusted the definition of system library to include software that may not come directly with the operating system, but that all users of the software can reasonably be expected to have. Using full gpl libraries in software as a service saas. Nothing forbids you to write software that runs under linux regardless of the licence of your software. We recommend that people consider using the gnu agpl for any software which will commonly be run over a network. I am trying to figure out once and for all how the gplv3 interacts with web applications, specifically saas applications. The free software foundation today released the second discussion draft of the gnu affero general public license gnu agpl.
The question and answer no longer available on linkedin are reproduced, in slightly edited form, below. I havent been able to find a concrete answer about this. Some experts said it wasnt really needed, while others wondered whether it served the commercial giants of software over the open source community and smaller, younger businesses. The fsf had contemplated adding the ability to run softwareasaservice saas to gplv3, but chose instead to release the separate licence. However, it is allowed to switch from the gplv3, to a variant, the affero. The vouchers have no expiration date so if just one voucher is redeemed after suse releases any gplv3ed software then all recipients of that gplv3ed software are safe from any microsoft patent attacks. In a nutshell, it is the ability of running gplv2 software as a service saas without returning any changes to the community, because distribution of software as a service. Saas use of opensource software is not distribution who gnu. Originally we referred to this problematical practice as saas, which stands for software as a service. Since gpl requires providing access to source code, and agplv3 section is an additional condition specifically added to plug the loophole in saas like software, does not it imply that agplv3 also requires providing source code access, irrespective of whether it is modified or not. Gpl and lgpl open source licensing restrictions stack overflow.
Xcart is an opensource shopping cart software that gracefully handles large product catalogs while still keeping. The free software foundation on monday published the gnu affero general public license version 3, a version of the gnu gplv3 designed specifically for networkoriented free software. The gplv3 covers tivoisation this is a new term invented by the fsf, which is not used as is in the gplv3 meaning that it prevents hardware providers to adapt free software in order to implement and lock a. Lets say i have a saas web app that users can purchase a monthly subscription to and access.
However be aware that if you or the company ever make changes to the software and want to distribute it, it must be distributed with full source code, on the same license terms as the original software. The second version agplv2 was published in november 2007, as a transitional license to allow an upgrade path from. Jul, 2007 a number of people is are happy with the gplv3, but i am not. While saas implementations allow the use of the functionality of software, it does not normally result in the distribution of the software itself. Gplv3 and software as a service by brett smith contributions published on mar 29, 2007 09. Open source licenses have a big loophole for the most common method of software distribution today. In the article, analyst laura didio points out how the new gpl reflects a growing trend toward saas.
Jul 11, 20 the weapon of choice that the movement developed and deployed to respond to the unique challenges imposed by the emerging cloudbased saas environment was the affero gplv3 agplv3, which covers popular applications such as phpfusion, launchpad and sugarcrm. The question of usage is a little more complicated. The new gpl is based on the gnu gplv3 but includes terms to let users access source code for software accessed over a network. The gpl faq has already been updated with additional information, and well continue to improve it over the next few weeks. Apache 2 software can therefore be included in gplv3 projects, because the gplv3 license accepts our software into gplv3 works. I went looking for the provision they had in the last draft, the one that closes the gplv2 asp loophole that forced me to create hpl. The licenses are incompatible in one direction only, and it is a result of asfs licensing philosophy and the gplv3 authors interpretation of law. Gplv3 and software as a service free software foundation. However, the language of the license text was strongly amended and is much more comprehensive in response to technical and legal changes and international license exchange.
But the affero gpl agpl license is one exception that takes a different approach. This license is based on gplv3 with a new requirement to ensure that users who interact with the software over a network can receive the source for that program. The article concludes that while this is the right decision, it places real limits on the longterm significance of the gpl. Gpl and lgpl open source licensing restrictions stack.