Python Software Foundation License
Encyclopedia
The Python Software Foundation
License (PSFL) is a BSD-style, permissive free software license which is compatible
with the GNU General Public License
(GPL). Its primary use is for distribution of the Python
project software. Unlike the GPL the Python license is not a copyleft
license, and allows modifications to the source code, as well as the construction of derivative works, without making the code open-source. The PSFL is listed as approved on both FSF's approved licenses list, and OSI's approved licenses list.
Earlier versions of Python were under the so-called Python License
, which is incompatible with the GPL. The reason given for this incompatibility by Free Software Foundation
was that "this Python license is governed by the laws of the 'State of Virginia', in the USA", and the GPL does not permit this.
The year that Python's creator Guido van Rossum
changed the license to fix this incompatibility, he was awarded the Free Software Foundation Award for the Advancement of Free Software.
Python Software Foundation
The Python Software Foundation , is a non-profit organization devoted to the Python programming language, launched on March 6, 2001. The mission of the foundation is to foster development of the Python community and is responsible for various processes within the Python community, including...
License (PSFL) is a BSD-style, permissive free software license which is compatible
License compatibility
License compatibility refers to the problem with licenses applied to works subject to copyright, particularly licenses of software packages, which can contain contradictory requirements, rendering it impossible to combine source code from such packages or content from such works in order to create...
with the GNU General Public License
GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
(GPL). Its primary use is for distribution of the Python
Python (programming language)
Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to "[combine] remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive...
project software. Unlike the GPL the Python license is not a copyleft
Copyleft
Copyleft is a play on the word copyright to describe the practice of using copyright law to offer the right to distribute copies and modified versions of a work and requiring that the same rights be preserved in modified versions of the work...
license, and allows modifications to the source code, as well as the construction of derivative works, without making the code open-source. The PSFL is listed as approved on both FSF's approved licenses list, and OSI's approved licenses list.
Earlier versions of Python were under the so-called Python License
Python License
The Python License is a deprecated computer software license created by the Corporation for National Research Initiatives . It was used for versions 1.6 and 2.0 of the Python programming language, both released in the year 2000...
, which is incompatible with the GPL. The reason given for this incompatibility by Free Software Foundation
Free Software Foundation
The Free Software Foundation is a non-profit corporation founded by Richard Stallman on 4 October 1985 to support the free software movement, a copyleft-based movement which aims to promote the universal freedom to create, distribute and modify computer software...
was that "this Python license is governed by the laws of the 'State of Virginia', in the USA", and the GPL does not permit this.
The year that Python's creator Guido van Rossum
Guido van Rossum
Guido van Rossum is a Dutch computer programmer who is best known as the author of the Python programming language. In the Python community, Van Rossum is known as a "Benevolent Dictator For Life" , meaning that he continues to oversee the Python development process, making decisions where necessary...
changed the license to fix this incompatibility, he was awarded the Free Software Foundation Award for the Advancement of Free Software.