From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Wed Mar 24 10:48:43 2010 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 69A281065670 for ; Wed, 24 Mar 2010 10:48:42 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from richard@inf.ed.ac.uk) Received: from treacle.ucs.ed.ac.uk (treacle.ucs.ed.ac.uk [129.215.16.102]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 067498FC17 for ; Wed, 24 Mar 2010 10:48:41 +0000 (UTC) Received: from nutty.inf.ed.ac.uk (nutty.inf.ed.ac.uk [129.215.33.33]) by treacle.ucs.ed.ac.uk (8.13.8/8.13.4) with ESMTP id o2OAmdG8000404 for ; Wed, 24 Mar 2010 10:48:39 GMT Received: from macpro.inf.ed.ac.uk (macpro.inf.ed.ac.uk [129.215.197.24]) by nutty.inf.ed.ac.uk (8.13.8/8.13.8) with ESMTP id o2OAmdte002035 for ; Wed, 24 Mar 2010 10:48:39 GMT Received: by macpro.inf.ed.ac.uk (Postfix, from userid 26013) id EE89D80697E; Wed, 24 Mar 2010 10:48:38 +0000 (GMT) From: Richard Tobin To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org In-Reply-To: Matthew Seaman's message of Tue, 23 Mar 2010 19:41:13 +0000 Organization: just say no X-Mailer: Ream 5.1.51-richard-mac Message-Id: <20100324104838.EE89D80697E@macpro.inf.ed.ac.uk> Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2010 10:48:38 +0000 (GMT) X-Edinburgh-Scanned: at treacle.ucs.ed.ac.uk with MIMEDefang 2.60, Sophie, Sophos Anti-Virus, Clam AntiVirus Content-Type: text/plain MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Disposition: inline X-Scanned-By: MIMEDefang 2.60 on 129.215.16.102 Subject: Re: Free BSD Licensing X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2010 10:48:43 -0000 > As the FreeBSD license is less restrictive than the GPL, it's pretty > much safe to say that wherever you are permitted install GPL'd software, > you could substitute FreeBSD licensed software without legal penalty. > (Note: *install* -- redistribution is a different matter) You do not have to agree to the GPL to use GPL'd software: it explicitly says that it only covers "copying, distribution and modification" and not "running the program". The FreeBSD licence on the other hand only allows you to use the software if you agree to the conditions - which only affect redistribution, so if you do not redistribute it, the licence terms do not affect you. I suppose a theoretical difference is that if you redistribute FreeBSD in violation of the conditions you no longer have the right to use it, which is not true for the GPL. -- Richard -- The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336.