Open Source

Summary #

Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution.

Licenses #

Popular Open Source Licenses ref

GPL #

The GNU’s General Public License is the most popular open source license. GPL is a copyleft license. This means that any software based on any GPL component must be released as open source.

Apache License #

• This license is released by the Apache Foundation (Apache Software Foundation).
• It’s a popular and widely deployed open source license backed by a strong community.
• The Apache License allows you to freely use, modify, and distribute any Apache licensed product.
• However, while doing so, you’re required to follow the terms of the Apache License.

MIT License #

The MIT License, created at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in the late ‘80s, is one of the most permissive free software licenses. Basically, you can do whatever you want with software licensed under the MIT license, as long as you add a copy of the original MIT license and copyright notice to it.

Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) #

BSD Licenses or the original BSD License and its two variants – the Modified BSD License (3-clause), and the Simplified BSD License/FreeBSD License (2-clause) are a family of permissive free software licenses.

The BSD License lets you freely modify and distribute your software’s code in the source or binary format as long as you retain a copy of the copyright notice, list of conditions, and the disclaimer.

Eclipse Public License (EPL) #

This is an open source license developed by the Eclipse Foundation. It’s derived from the Common Public License (CPL). The EPL license is a copyleft license. If you modify an EPL’ed component and distribute it in the source code form as part of your program, you must disclose the modified code under the EPL. If you distribute such a program in its object code form, you must state that the source code can be made available to the recipient upon request, and you must explain how to request the source code.

If you redistribute a program with an EPL component, you must include the full license text and the copyrights.

The EPL protects the author from possible lawsuits or damages caused if a company uses their component in a commercial product. It also offers a patent grant.

Common Development and Distribution License (CDDL) #

CDDL is an open source license published by Sun Microsystems (now Oracle) to replace the Sun Public License (SPL). T It is inspired by the Mozilla Public License (MPL). CDDL is made to facilitate reusability.

You’re free to reproduce and distribute any original or derivative works of any software licensed under the CDDL. However, you must not remove or make any changes to any copyright, patent, or trademark notices contained in the software. You must also retain any notices of licensing or any descriptive text that attributes any contributor or the initial developer.

When you distribute your software in an executable form (any form other than source code), you must make the source code availableunder the CDDL. The executable form may be released under the CDDL or any CDDL compatible licenses.

This source code should include your contributions if they in some way modify the contents of a file containing the original software – or new files that contain parts of the original program. If your modifications are in separate and independent files that do not contain the original code, you do not have to release it under the CDDL. Furthermore, you must include a copy of the CDDL with any source code that you distribute. For each modification that you make, you must identify yourself as the modifier by including a notice in your modified files.

Microsoft Public Licenses (Ms-PL) #

This is a free and open source software license released by Microsoft.

You can reproduce and distribute original or derivative works of any software licensed under the Ms-PL license. However, you may not use any contributor’s name, logo, or trademarks when you do so. The Ms-PL protects the authors by explicitly not offering any express warranties or guarantees for using their code, so they’re not liable if the code doesn’t work well.

When you distribute software (or a portion thereof) under the Ms-PL, you don’t need to distribute its source code. You are required to retain all copyright, patent, trademark, and attribution notices that are in the original software.

Additionally, if you distribute any portion of the software in its source code form, you may do so only under the Ms-PL by including a complete copy of this license with your distribution. If you distribute any portion of the software in its compiled or object code form, you may only do so under any other license that complies with the Ms-PL.