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1 -*- mode: outline; fill-column:78 -*- |
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2 |
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3 * The Open Source Definition (Annotated) |
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4 |
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5 Version 1.9 |
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6 |
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7 The indented, italicized sections below appear as annotations to the Open Source |
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8 Definition (OSD) and are not a part of the OSD. A plain version of the OSD without |
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9 annotations can be found here. Introduction |
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10 |
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11 Open source doesn't just mean access to the source code. The distribution terms of |
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12 open-source software must comply with the following criteria: |
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13 |
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14 1. Free Redistribution |
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15 |
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16 The license shall not restrict any party from selling or giving away the software as a |
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17 component of an aggregate software distribution containing programs from several different |
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18 sources. The license shall not require a royalty or other fee for such sale. |
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19 |
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20 Rationale: By constraining the license to require free redistribution, we eliminate the |
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21 temptation to throw away many long-term gains in order to make a few short-term sales |
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22 dollars. If we didn't do this, there would be lots of pressure for cooperators to defect. |
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23 |
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24 2. Source Code |
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25 |
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26 The program must include source code, and must allow distribution in source code as well |
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27 as compiled form. Where some form of a product is not distributed with source code, there |
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28 must be a well-publicized means of obtaining the source code for no more than a reasonable |
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29 reproduction cost preferably, downloading via the Internet without charge. The source code |
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30 must be the preferred form in which a programmer would modify the program. Deliberately |
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31 obfuscated source code is not allowed. Intermediate forms such as the output of a |
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32 preprocessor or translator are not allowed. |
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33 |
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34 Rationale: We require access to un-obfuscated source code because you can't evolve |
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35 programs without modifying them. Since our purpose is to make evolution easy, we require |
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36 that modification be made easy. |
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37 |
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38 3. Derived Works |
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39 |
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40 The license must allow modifications and derived works, and must allow them to be |
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41 distributed under the same terms as the license of the original software. |
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42 |
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43 Rationale: The mere ability to read source isn't enough to support independent peer review |
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44 and rapid evolutionary selection. For rapid evolution to happen, people need to be able to |
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45 experiment with and redistribute modifications. |
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46 |
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47 4. Integrity of The Author's Source Code |
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48 |
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49 The license may restrict source-code from being distributed in modified form only if the |
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50 license allows the distribution of "patch files" with the source code for the purpose of |
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51 modifying the program at build time. The license must explicitly permit distribution of |
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52 software built from modified source code. The license may require derived works to carry a |
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53 different name or version number from the original software. |
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54 |
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55 Rationale: Encouraging lots of improvement is a good thing, but users have a right to know |
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56 who is responsible for the software they are using. Authors and maintainers have |
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57 reciprocal right to know what they're being asked to support and protect their |
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58 reputations. |
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59 |
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60 Accordingly, an open-source license must guarantee that source be readily available, but |
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61 may require that it be distributed as pristine base sources plus patches. In this way, |
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62 "unofficial" changes can be made available but readily distinguished from the base source. |
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63 |
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64 5. No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups |
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65 |
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66 The license must not discriminate against any person or group of persons. |
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67 |
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68 Rationale: In order to get the maximum benefit from the process, the maximum diversity of |
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69 persons and groups should be equally eligible to contribute to open sources. Therefore we |
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70 forbid any open-source license from locking anybody out of the process. |
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71 |
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72 Some countries, including the United States, have export restrictions for certain types of |
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73 software. An OSD-conformant license may warn licensees of applicable restrictions and |
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74 remind them that they are obliged to obey the law; however, it may not incorporate such |
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75 restrictions itself. |
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76 |
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77 6. No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor |
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78 |
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79 The license must not restrict anyone from making use of the program in a specific field of |
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80 endeavor. For example, it may not restrict the program from being used in a business, or |
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81 from being used for genetic research. |
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82 |
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83 Rationale: The major intention of this clause is to prohibit license traps that prevent |
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84 open source from being used commercially. We want commercial users to join our community, |
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85 not feel excluded from it. |
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86 |
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87 7. Distribution of License |
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88 |
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89 The rights attached to the program must apply to all to whom the program is redistributed |
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90 without the need for execution of an additional license by those parties. |
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91 |
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92 Rationale: This clause is intended to forbid closing up software by indirect means such as |
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93 requiring a non-disclosure agreement. |
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94 |
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95 8. License Must Not Be Specific to a Product |
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96 |
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97 The rights attached to the program must not depend on the program's being part of a |
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98 particular software distribution. If the program is extracted from that distribution and |
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99 used or distributed within the terms of the program's license, all parties to whom the |
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100 program is redistributed should have the same rights as those that are granted in |
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101 conjunction with the original software distribution. |
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102 |
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103 Rationale: This clause forecloses yet another class of license traps. |
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104 |
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105 9. License Must Not Restrict Other Software |
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106 |
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107 The license must not place restrictions on other software that is distributed along with |
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108 the licensed software. For example, the license must not insist that all other programs |
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109 distributed on the same medium must be open-source software. |
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110 |
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111 Rationale: Distributors of open-source software have the right to make their own choices |
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112 about their own software. |
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113 |
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114 Yes, the GPL is conformant with this requirement. Software linked with GPLed libraries |
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115 only inherits the GPL if it forms a single work, not any software with which they are |
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116 merely distributed. |
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117 |
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118 10. License Must Be Technology-Neutral |
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119 |
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120 No provision of the license may be predicated on any individual technology or style of |
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121 interface. |
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122 |
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123 Rationale: This provision is aimed specifically at licenses which require an explicit |
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124 gesture of assent in order to establish a contract between licensor and licensee. |
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125 Provisions mandating so-called "click-wrap" may conflict with important methods of |
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126 software distribution such as FTP download, CD-ROM anthologies, and web mirroring; such |
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127 provisions may also hinder code re-use. Conformant licenses must allow for the possibility |
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128 that (a) redistribution of the software will take place over non-Web channels that do not |
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129 support click-wrapping of the download, and that (b) the covered code (or re-used portions |
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130 of covered code) may run in a non-GUI environment that cannot support popup dialogues. |
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131 |
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132 * Social Contract with the Free Software Community |
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133 |
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134 Version 1.1 |
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135 |
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136 1. Debian will remain 100% free |
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137 |
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138 We provide the guidelines that we use to determine if a work is free in the document |
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139 entitled The Debian Free Software Guidelines. We promise that the Debian system and all |
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140 its components will be free according to these guidelines. We will support people who |
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141 create or use both free and non-free works on Debian. We will never make the system |
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142 require the use of a non-free component. |
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143 |
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144 2. We will give back to the free software community |
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145 |
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146 When we write new components of the Debian system, we will license them in a manner |
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147 consistent with the Debian Free Software Guidelines. We will make the best system we can, |
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148 so that free works will be widely distributed and used. We will communicate things such as |
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149 bug fixes, improvements and user requests to the upstream authors of works included in our |
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150 system. |
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151 |
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152 3. We will not hide problems |
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153 |
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154 We will keep our entire bug report database open for public view at all times. Reports |
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155 that people file online will promptly become visible to others. |
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156 |
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157 4. Our priorities are our users and free software |
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158 |
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159 We will be guided by the needs of our users and the free software community. We will place |
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160 their interests first in our priorities. We will support the needs of our users for |
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161 operation in many different kinds of computing environments. We will not object to |
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162 non-free works that are intended to be used on Debian systems, or attempt to charge a fee |
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163 to people who create or use such works. We will allow others to create distributions |
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164 containing both the Debian system and other works, without any fee from us. In furtherance |
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165 of these goals, we will provide an integrated system of high-quality materials with no |
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166 legal restrictions that would prevent such uses of the system. |
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167 |
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168 5. Works that do not meet our free software standards |
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169 |
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170 We acknowledge that some of our users require the use of works that do not conform to the |
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171 Debian Free Software Guidelines. We have created contrib and non-free areas in our archive |
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172 for these works. The packages in these areas are not part of the Debian system, although |
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173 they have been configured for use with Debian. We encourage CD manufacturers to read the |
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174 licenses of the packages in these areas and determine if they can distribute the packages |
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175 on their CDs. Thus, although non-free works are not a part of Debian, we support their use |
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176 and provide infrastructure for non-free packages (such as our bug tracking system and |
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177 mailing lists). |
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178 |
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179 * The Debian Free Software Guidelines (DFSG) |
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180 |
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181 1. Free Redistribution |
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182 |
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183 The license of a Debian component may not restrict any party from selling or giving away |
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184 the software as a component of an aggregate software distribution containing programs from |
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185 several different sources. The license may not require a royalty or other fee for such |
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186 sale. |
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187 |
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188 2. Source Code |
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189 |
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190 The program must include source code, and must allow distribution in source code as well |
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191 as compiled form. |
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192 |
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193 3. Derived Works |
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194 |
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195 The license must allow modifications and derived works, and must allow them to be |
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196 distributed under the same terms as the license of the original software. |
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197 |
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198 4. Integrity of The Author's Source Code |
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199 |
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200 The license may restrict source-code from being distributed in modified form _only_ if the |
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201 license allows the distribution of patch files with the source code for the purpose of |
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202 modifying the program at build time. The license must explicitly permit distribution of |
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203 software built from modified source code. The license may require derived works to carry a |
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204 different name or version number from the original software. (This is a compromise. The |
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205 Debian group encourages all authors not to restrict any files, source or binary, from |
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206 being modified.) |
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207 |
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208 5. No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups |
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209 |
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210 The license must not discriminate against any person or group of persons. |
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211 |
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212 6. No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor |
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213 |
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214 The license must not restrict anyone from making use of the program in a specific field of |
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215 endeavor. For example, it may not restrict the program from being used in a business, or |
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216 from being used for genetic research. |
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217 |
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218 7. Distribution of License |
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219 |
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220 The rights attached to the program must apply to all to whom the program is redistributed |
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221 without the need for execution of an additional license by those parties. |
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222 |
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223 8. License Must Not Be Specific to Debian |
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224 |
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225 The rights attached to the program must not depend on the program's being part of a Debian |
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226 system. If the program is extracted from Debian and used or distributed without Debian but |
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227 otherwise within the terms of the program's license, all parties to whom the program is |
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228 redistributed should have the same rights as those that are granted in conjunction with |
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229 the Debian system. |
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230 |
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231 9. License Must Not Contaminate Other Software |
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232 |
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233 The license must not place restrictions on other software that is distributed along with |
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234 the licensed software. For example, the license must not insist that all other programs |
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235 distributed on the same medium must be free software. |
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236 |
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237 10. Example Licenses |
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238 |
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239 The GPL, BSD, and Artistic licenses are examples of licenses that we consider free. |
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240 |
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241 * The Free Software Definition |
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242 |
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243 Free software is a matter of the users' freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change |
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244 and improve the software. More precisely, it refers to four kinds of freedom, for the |
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245 users of the software: |
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246 |
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247 * The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0). |
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248 * The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs (freedom 1). |
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249 Access to the source code is a precondition for this. |
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250 * The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor (freedom 2). |
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251 * The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements to the public, so |
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252 that the whole community benefits (freedom 3). |
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253 * Access to the source code is a precondition for this. |