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diff --git a/assets/sass/_custom.scss b/assets/sass/_custom.scss index 7a26904..6bc4a7a 100644 --- a/assets/sass/_custom.scss +++ b/assets/sass/_custom.scss @@ -80,3 +80,19 @@ ol li::marker { max-width: 100%; } } + +.pros ul { + list-style-type: "✓ "; + + & ::marker { + color: #4CAF50; + } +} + +.cons ul { + list-style-type: "✗ "; + + & ::marker { + color: #F44336; + } +} diff --git a/content/learn/participate/choose-a-license.md b/content/learn/participate/choose-a-license.md index f1988ec..bc2e752 100644 --- a/content/learn/participate/choose-a-license.md +++ b/content/learn/participate/choose-a-license.md @@ -2,3 +2,127 @@ title: Choosing a license weight: 3 --- + +Choosing a license is an important part of publishing your free software +projects. There are many to choose from, and each has different trade-offs and +implications for your project's future. It can be difficult to change the +license later, so you should consider it carefully at the start. + +Here are a few widely used free software licenses we recommend, and why you +might choose them. + +{{< tip >}} +Once you pick a license, include it when sharing your software. The easiest +way to do this is to copy the plain-text version into a file called "COPYING" in +your source code repository. For more complex scenarios, we recommend the +[REUSE][0] approach. + +[0]: https://reuse.software/ +{{< /tip >}} + +## Copyleft licenses + +Copyleft licenses are useful for ensuring that your software remains free. The +use of copyleft requires anyone who makes improvements to your software to +publish them under the same copyleft license, which ensures that you can +incorporate their improvements back into your version. For more details, see +[What is copyleft?](/learn/copyleft/) + +{{< block "grid-2" >}} + +{{< column "pros" >}} + +### Advantages + +* Ensures your software remains free +* Encourages community contributions +* Promotes free software generally + +{{< /column >}} + +{{< column "cons" >}} + +### Disadvantages + +* Less attractive to businesses +* Must consider license compatibility for reuse + +{{< /column >}} + +{{< /block >}} + +### Recommended copyleft licenses + +| License | Use it for... | Copyleft approach | +| --- | --- | --- | +| [Mozilla Public License 2.0] | Libraries (allows <abbr title="The practice of copying library files directly into another project instead of linking them separately">vendoring</abbr>) | File-based | +| [GNU Lesser General Public License] | Libraries (disallows vendoring) | Object-based | +| [GNU General Public License] | Executable programs | Executable-based | +| [GNU Affero General Public License] | Networked services | Network-based | + +[Mozilla Public License 2.0]: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/MPL/2.0/ +[GNU Lesser General Public License]: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/lgpl-3.0.en.html +[GNU General Public License]: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html +[GNU Affero General Public License]: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/agpl-3.0.html + +## Permissive licenses + +Permissive licenses impose relatively few obligations on the receipient of your +software. These licenses permit the software to be freely re-used and integrated +into any other software project, including non-free software. It can be useful +for projects which target commercial use or widespread adoption. + +{{< block "grid-2" >}} + +{{< column "pros" >}} + +### Advantages + +* Permits easy re-use +* Encourages widespread adoption +* Attractive to business users + +{{< /column >}} + +{{< column "cons" >}} + +### Disadvantages + +* Can be incorporated into non-free works +* Discourages community contributions + +{{< /column >}} + +{{< /block >}} + +### Recommended permissive licenses + +We recommend the following permissive licenses: + +* [MIT license](https://mit-license.org/) +* [BSD 3-clause license](https://opensource.org/license/bsd-3-clause/) + +## Recommended for businesses + +For businesses publishing free software, it may be desirable to use a +permissive-style license which includes considerations for trademark and patent +rights. For this purpose we recommend the [Apache 2.0 license]. + +[Apache 2.0 license]: https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html + +## Public domain + +Publishers who wish to enter their software into the public domain should note +that a simple public domain dedication is not sufficient for international use. +We recommend the following licenses, which provide public-domain-equivalent +legal rights in a manner compatible with international laws: + +* [Creative Commons 0](https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/) +* [Unlicense](https://unlicense.org/) + +## Licenses for other situations + +We have a separate page recommending licenses for non-software assets, such as +multimedia: + +[Licensing non-software assets](/learn/participate/assets/) |