The popular free software license turns 5 this week. It was created by Richard M Stallman, President of Free Software Foundation to bring all free softwares under a license and thus legalizing the process of free software.
Unlike other software licenses that take away your freedom, GNU General Public License is there to give you freedom to use, study and modify software according to your needs. The license grants you four freedom, namely:
- free from restriction
- free to share and copy
- free to learn and adapt
- free to work with others
- The drafting process of GNU GPLv3 took nearly two years and had four revisions, each of which was followed by extensive public review.
FSF's general counsel, Eben Moglen said on this event, "GPLv3 carries RMS's constitution for free software into the new century. It made the legal institutions of free software truly global, not centered in US law. It strengthened free software's defenses against patent aggression just in time for the patent war we long warned would inevitably come if patenting of software was allowed. And it drew a line against the imprisonment of free software in devices that don't permit their owners to modify the software inside. GPLv3 anticipated the issues of today and will help us deal with the challenges of tomorrow."
Saurav Modak
Saurav Modak is an engineering student and FOSS enthusiast who believes that best things in the world, such as software should be free (as in freedom). He is a hard core Arch fan and loves to show off his customized Arch Linux installation to friends. You can connect with Saurav on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.
