Shulou(Shulou.com)06/03 Report--

When we visit github, we often see a Lience in Readme, and we often see the words GNU, GPL, BSD, Apache and so on, but do you really know these protocols and their differences?

GPL: Linux, which we are familiar with, uses GPL. Licenses such as the GPL protocol and BSD,Apache Licence that encourage code reuse are very different. The starting point of GPL is the open source / free use of code and the open source / free use of referenced / modified / derived code, but modified and derived code is not allowed to be released and sold as closed source commercial software. This is why we can use a variety of free linux, including commercial companies' linux and linux, all kinds of free software developed by individuals, organizations, and commercial software companies. The main content of the GPL agreement is that as long as a product using the GPL protocol ("using" refers to class library references, modified code or derived code) in a software, the software product must also adopt the GPL protocol, which must also be open source and free. This is called "contagion". There is no problem for GPL products to be used as a separate product, and you can enjoy the advantage of free. Because GPL strictly requires that software products that use GPL class library must use GPL protocol, for open source code using GPL protocol, commercial software or departments with code confidentiality requirements are not suitable to integrate / adopt as the basis of class library and secondary development. Other details, such as the need to accompany the GPL protocol when re-released, are similar to those of BSD/Apache. If you use and modify my GPL software, then your software must also be open source, otherwise you can not use my software, whether you put your software business has nothing to do with me.

BSD: the BSD open source protocol is a protocol that gives users a lot of freedom. Basically, users can "do whatever they want" and are free to use and modify the source code, or redistribute the modified code as open source or proprietary software. But the premise of "do whatever you want" when you release the code that uses the BSD protocol, or the second development of your own product based on the BSD protocol code, you need to meet three conditions: if the re-released product contains the source code, you must have the BSD protocol in the original code in the source code. If only the binary library / software is released, the BSD protocol from the original code needs to be included in the library / software documentation and copyright notice. You cannot use the name of the author / organization of the open source code and the name of the original product for marketing. BSD code encourages code sharing, but the copyright of the code author must be respected. BSD is a friendly protocol for commercial integration because it allows users to modify and redistribute code, as well as to use or develop commercial software release and sale on BSD code. However, many companies prefer the BSD protocol when choosing open source products, because they can completely control these third-party code and can modify or redevelop them when necessary. Apache: Apache Licence is the protocol adopted by Apache, a well-known non-profit open source organization. The agreement, similar to BSD, also encourages code sharing and respect for the copyright of the original author, and also allows code to be modified and redistributed (as open source or commercial software). The conditions that need to be met are similar to BSD: you need to give the user of the code an Apache Licence, and if you modify the code, you need to explain it in the modified file. The extended code (modified and code derived from the source code) needs to be included with the agreement, trademark, patent declaration and other instructions specified by the original author. If the re-released product contains a Notice file, you need to have Apache Licence in the Notice file. You can add your own license to Notice, but it cannot be expressed as a change to the composition of Apache Licence. Apache Licence is also a business-friendly license. Users can also modify the code when needed to meet their needs and release / sell as open source or commercial products. LGPL: LGPL is an open source protocol designed by GPL for the use of class libraries. Unlike GPL, any software that uses / modifies / derives the GPL class library must adopt the GPL protocol. LGPL allows commercial software to use LGPL class libraries through class library references (link) without the need for open source commercial software code. This allows open source code using the LGPL protocol to be referenced, published and sold by commercial software as a class library. However, if you modify the code or derivation of the LGPL protocol, all modified code, the additional code involving the modification and the derived code must use the LGPL protocol. Therefore, the open source code of LGPL protocol is very suitable to be quoted by commercial software as a third-party class library, but it is not suitable for commercial software that wants to do secondary development based on LGPL protocol code by modification and derivation. GPL/LGPL protects the intellectual property rights of the original authors and prevents people from using open source code to copy and develop similar products. MIT:MIT is a license agreement as broad as BSD, and the author only wants to retain the copyright without any other restrictions. In other words, you must include a declaration of the original license agreement in your distribution, whether you release it in binary or source code.

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