Bsd license problem gnu project free software foundation. Computers with more than 3 gb of memory should use amd64. Apr 07, 2017 differences in distribution, linking, modification, private use of open source licenses like mit, gnu gpl, apache 2. The socalled new bsd license applied to freebsd within the last few years is effectively a statement that you can do anything with the program or its source. The two licenses are very different from each other. Gpl, lgpl, apache, bsd, the great thing about open source code is the large amount of high quality code that is available and many embedded projects use foss code as it really speeds up development time. Differences in distribution, linking, modification, private use of open source licenses like mit, gnu gpl, apache 2. Open source is snappier, clearer, less ambiguous, and close enough to the same thing. In some countries, users that download code with no license may infringe merely by compiling it or running it. The big main difference is that the two userlands start with completely different source code. It is derived from bsd, the version of unix developed at the university of california, berkeley. However, it is highly unlikely any gpled code will ever make it into the freebsd operating system itself. The first free unixlike operating systemavailable on the ibm pc was 386bsd, of which linus torvalds said in 1993.
It is developed and maintained by a large community. In both cases an end product is being sold, in both cases gpl code is used to provide such product, yet only the electronic product is actually able to be. You can create a project that runs on freebsd and license it under the gpl. Mysql community edition is a freely downloadable version of the worlds most popular open source database that is supported by an active community of open source developers and enthusiasts. Gpl requires that you license your own code under gpl if you use any gpl libraries or include any gpl code, this is the essense of the gpls viral nature. Reviewers like that freebsd offers choices that include prepackaged options or do it yourself. Modern pcs use the amd64 architecture, including those with intel branded processors. Gpl thus penalizes those trying to sell electronic products using such gpl code, while sasol uses gpl code internally to sell petrol, but sasol cant be sued for selling an end product. Jun 25, 2019 freebsd is a free unixlike operating system descended from research unix via the berkeley software distribution bsd. What is the difference between a bsd and a gpl license. Gpl vs bsd, a matter of sustainability numerodix blog.
Bsd might sound more free, but the one extra rule that the gpl introduced makes all the difference. The gnu general public licence, or gpl as its often called, is the most popular free software licence and its used by many different projects, including the linux kernel, the gnu tools and literally hundreds of others. Linux is available under the gnu general public license gpl, which is designed to eliminate closed source software. Copyleft licenses such as the gnu gpl insist that modified versions of the program must be free software as well. Your project would have to act as a thirdparty addon or a port. Bsd developers on the other hand have no such restrictions. Although it was tricky at times, the majestic handbook and forums helped me plenty. If you choose to make an operating system based on the linux kernel then you have to distribute it for free under the gpl license, but if you choose to make an os based on the unix kernel example. Both linux and freebsd even provide proprietary packages for download.
Gnu general public license gpl version 2 this is the previous version of the gnu gpl. Under gpl you cant sublicense, meaning, you cant cha. Nov 20, 2014 you can create a project that runs on freebsd and license it under the gpl. You can find the legal text for the gpl here, but heres a quick summary of what it means. I have a question about unix and linux and their licenses. The gplv3 doesnt apply here, but clarifies the intent of the gpl authors. My thoughts here were addressing why much of the linux ecosystem is being coopted. Gpl requires that you license your own code under gpl if you use any gpl libraries or include any gpl code, this is the essense of the gpl s viral nature. Various licenses and comments about them gnu project free.
It offers a mechanism that further terms can be added to the license, if these terms are not. The gpl is an attempt to keep efforts, regardless of demand, at the research and development stages. In other words, if you make an application for freebsd, you can license it under the gpl. Use of a gpl codebase constantly raises commercialization and legal issues.
All freebsd documents are available for download at. In 2005, freebsd was the most popular opensource bsd operating system, accounting for more than threequarters of all installed simply, permissively licensed bsd systems. It is used by so few people that no one bothers to even try to hack it. If you modify the linux kernel and distribute it, you have to release the source code for your modifications. All freebsd documents are available for download at s. Every so many weeks you find that gpl license advocates attack the bsd license. Gpl, unlike the bsd license, ensures software freedom for users by stipulating that all gplderived code must also kept open source through the same publicuse licensing policy. Bsd is a license that is kinda naive and i dont mean that negative. Netbsds name is a tribute to the internet, which brought the original developers together the first bsd mascot was the bsd daemon, named after a common type of unix software program, a daemon. Even though freebsd shares a lot of similarities with linux distributions, they have major differences also between them in. Its based on issues raised in the august freebsd foundation newsletter.
Other notable derivatives include dragonfly bsd, which was forked from freebsd 4. It is based on the modified bsd license, and adds a term expressly stating it does not grant you any patent licenses. Various licenses and comments about them gnu project. See how to choose a license for your own work for general recommendations about choosing a license for your work the two major categories of free software license are copyleft and noncopyleft. Later a third bsd license variant was introduced, with only the first two of the original bsd licenses four clauses.
Apr 12, 2016 freebsd aims to make an operating system usable for any purpose. When source code is bsdlicensed, the original project is open and free for everyone, but it doesnt necessarily stay that way. Freebsd publishes ports freebsds term for packages of software covered by the gplv2, such as mysql 5. Some say that these discussions are a waste of time. What are the main differences between bsd and gnulinux. Difference between freebsd and linux difference wiki. The free software foundation prefers copyleft sharealike freesoftware licensing rather than permissive freesoftware licensing for most purposes. Because of this, we encourage you to be careful about using software under this license.
Chemisor, a bsd advocate, is of the opinion that a linguistic misunderstanding may be the root of the disagreements over the difference licensing philosophies. Freebsd publishes ports freebsd s term for packages of software covered by the gplv2, such as mysql 5. A cynic would say that they are simply jealous over the gpls and linux success. The term userland can refer to many things in different contexts, but here i interpret gnu userland vs bsd userland as the default, minimum set of programs that come with a distribution.
Stallman devised an alternative to the commercial software license and called it the gpl, or gnu public license. What are the differences between freebsd and netbsd, openbsd, and other open source bsd operating systems. Freebsd is a free and opensource unixlike operating system descended from the berkeley software distribution bsd, which was based on research unix. Freebsd is one of the most popular operating system distributions of bsd. In particular, any derivative work of a product released under the gpl must also be supplied with source code if requested. Whichever license you defendpromote, if youre interested in reading and joining. Freebsd is a unixlike operating system for the i386, amd64, ia64, arm, mips, powerpc.
Freebsd vs the gnulinux desktop conundrum lands of unix. The group open source initiative osi defines and maintains a list of approved opensource licenses. Stay with us to gain essential insights into these two unix powerhouses and determine how they fit you. Can i take bsd licensed code and distribute it under gpl. In general openbsd is more focused on security, software stability and general programming sanity. Absent a license to grant users freedom, they dont have any. And if they did, it is used by such hard core hacker types that theyd have. Mysql cluster community edition is available as a separate download. Put gpl license file in root of project and gpl header in every relevant file and add note in readme that the code is also licensed.
The bsd kernels are developed and updated following the open source. This maximizes the benefits to researchers and developers, at an unknown cost to those who would benefit from wider distribution. Although for legal reasons freebsd cannot use the unix trademark, it is a direct descendant of bsd, which was historically also called bsd unix or berkeley unix. Linux vs freebsd learn the key differences of linux vs freebsd. You must cause any work that you distribute or publish, that in wh. The linux kernel, and most of the software in the gnu project, has been licensed under the gnu gpl which was created by the free software foundation. The gpl license is copyleft, therefore you must disclose your source code and make your modified version of your code open source as well. Freebsd has binary repositories as well plus even its source repositories read. Consumer usage of gpl vs bsd, or even proprietary has almost no immediate difference for the user, when looked at in isolation. Gpl vs bsd, a matter of sustainability hacker news. The term open source did not yet exist at the time, and the bsd. Difference between linux vs freebsd freebsd, like linux, is a free, opensource and secure berkeley software distributions or bsd operating system that is built on top of unix operating systems.
They want that people do not fork the core db thatwhy agpl but the driver which has to be linked with the main programm is apache 2. Gpl or just read this for some real projects who have problems with gpl. For those who are intereested in in depth comparison there was an old interesting article that discuss bsd vs gpl from several angles. Most of the current bsd operating systems are open source and available for download, free of charge, under the bsd license, the most notable exceptions. I managed to get it working on several desktops and 2 completely different laptops. Furthermore, zfs is a killer feature yes, i know linux has btrfs, but as far as i know its still not yet classed as stable while zfs is already tried, tested and depended upon in many servers right.
Supporters for either license have their thoughts and opinions to why one license is better than the other. We trace the history of freebsd and how its affected the open source world. Freebsd, like linux, is a free, opensource and secure berkeley software distributions or bsd operating system that is built on top of unix operating systems. Freebsd is an operating system for a variety of platforms which focuses on features, speed, and stability. Freebsd still uses the image, a red cartoon daemon named beastie, wielding a.
The kernel and the majority of the code in freebsd has been released and distributed under the bsd license although some components use other open licenses like the gpl, the lgpl or the isc. Most users of freebsd will have hardware for either the amd64, i386, or armv6 architectures. Dec 15, 2007 great summary that hit the nail on the head. It is intended to run a wide variety of applications, be easy to use, contain cutting edge features, and be highly scalable on very high load network servers.
Why you should use a bsd style license for your open source project. It is a lax, noncopyleft free license, compatible with the gnu gpl, much like the modified bsd license. In addition, i quickly learned a lot more about electronics and hardware. Freebsd aims to make an operating system usable for any purpose. An anonymous reader writes last week zdnet put up an article asking a simple question. It assumes that people will give back cause they realize that it is right. Basic difference between the gpl and the public domain. With a distributed, multimaster architecture and no single point of failure, mysql cluster scales horizontally on commodity hardware with autosharding partitioning to serve read and write intensive workloads, accessed via sql and nosql interfaces. Freebsd is geared towards servers with strong emphasis on service management and virtualization. That publication features a letter by the vice president of the freebsd foundation, justin gibbs. Freebsd has similarities with linux, with two major differences in scope and licensing. Personally i like gpl as it gives freedom and protect my rights. However, my macbook pro and iphone are sitting just a few feet away from me. Like many people before me i moved to freebsd for good.
Nov 15, 20 gpl thus penalizes those trying to sell electronic products using such gpl code, while sasol uses gpl code internally to sell petrol, but sasol cant be sued for selling an end product. Mar 03, 2010 every so many months the never ending discussion about the bsd vs gpl license heats up. Linux vs freebsd learn the key differences of linux vs. Jul 18, 2008 every so many weeks you find that gpl license advocates attack the bsd license. Licensing is a significant difference, although it wont matter to most people. Comparison of opensource operating systems wikipedia. Its list distinguishes between freesoftware licenses that are compatible or incompatible with the fsfs copyleft gnu general public license. The linux gpl license tends to be more strict on the developers, forcing a release of all modified source code. The names freebsd and openbsd are references to software freedom. This is a free software license, compatible with both gplv2 and gplv3. Osi agrees with fsf on all widely used freesoftware licenses, but differ from fsfs list, as it approves against the open source definition rather than the free software definition. Difference between different types of open sources licenses. Freebsd is free and open source, and the project prefers the bsd license.
Reviewers consistently rave about the stability and longevity of the freebsd operating system. A gpl advocates perspective recently, there has been a lot of anti gpl sentiment in the bsd camps. The berkeley software distribution, or bsd, beat gnulinux on all of these counts. When it is reasonable to expect the gpl license to be retained, it is also reasonable to require that the bsd license is retained when a gpl software contains bsdlicensed parts. These attacks are about freedom of sharing the code, and to what degree this should be allowed. Furthermore, zfs is a killer feature yes, i know linux has btrfs, but as far as i know its still not yet classed as stable while zfs is already tried, tested and depended upon in. The thing to keep in mind is what the nondeveloping public gets out of all this.
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