The Free Software Foundation has released the third version of the GNU General Public License which addresses many new patent concerns (focused around recent Microsoft deals), 'Tivoisation' and other issues too. The Lesser GNU General Public License (LGPL) has also been updated to version 3.
“Since we founded the free software movement, over 23 years ago, the free software community has developed thousands of useful programs that respect the user's freedom. The programs are in the GNU/Linux operating system, as well as personal computers, telephones, Internet servers, and more. Most of these programs use the GNU GPL to guarantee every user the freedom to run, study, adapt, improve, and redistribute the program,” said Richard Stallman, founder and president of the FSF.
Version 3 of the GNU GPL strengthens this guarantee, by ensuring that users can modify the free software on their personal and household devices, and granting patent licenses to every user. It also extends compatibility with other free software licenses and increases international uniformity.
The GPL is one of the most important software licences in the whole technology industry and this new release is quite a momentous event for not only the free software industry, but for tech as a whole.
Actually, I find it quite interesting that the FSF chose to release it when they did, on the same day as the release of the iPhone, which has inevitably meant that the news of the GPLv3's release has been overshadowed somewhat by Apple's new device.
I think now it is going to be interesting to see what the developers of the Linux kernel think of the new licence and the overall choice they make, as well as watching to see other projects who may or may not migrate to the GPLv3.
For more information about GPLv3, head over to the FSF's official GPLv3 site here.
Advance warning - I do have strong opinions on this subject, so (as the title of the post suggests), this is as much an opinion article as it is news.
TechCrunch is reporting that Microsoft have signed a deal similar to their deal with Novell with Linux distributor Xandros.
The deal includes:
Systems management interoperability: “value-added heterogeneous management capabilities” which in English translates to co-operative interoperability development between Xandros and Microsoft.
Server interoperability: Xandros will license a broad set of Microsoft server communications protocols allowing it to interoperate more smoothly with Windows Server
Office document compatibility: Xandros will join Microsoft and other companies in building open source translators fostering interoperability between documents stored in Open XML and Open Document Format.
Microsoft sales and marketing support: Microsoft will now endorse Xandros Server and Desktop as a preferred Linux distribution
Intellectual property assurance: Microsoft will make available patent covenants for Xandros customers that will provide customers with confidence that the Xandros technologies they use and deploy in their environments “are compliant with Microsoft’s intellectual property”.
This move is going to continue to anger those involved in free software (myself included) as it seems apparent Microsoft are keen to sign up as many distributors as they can in their intellectual property extortion scheme.
It is clear from this move that Microsoft are finding themselves in severe trouble with regards to competition with Linux-based operating systems and other free software in the enterprise space.
Expect more deals like this with distributors who choose to give in to Microsoft's demands. The GPLv3 is nearing completion and its new terms will likely cause major problems for future and existing deals of this nature. Thus, Microsoft are probably trying to sign up as many distributors as possible while they still can.
That said, part of the effectiveness of the GPLv3 on these deals will depend on how quickly developers sign up to the new licence. All of the GNU tools will obviously immediately go to version 3, but some software may take longer or not move over at all. Nevertheless, version 3 will be a thorn in the side of all companies involved with this deal.
This whole issue will certainly be interesting to watch and the response to this latest deal with Xandros will undoubtedly spark some reaction and debate from all sorts of members of the free software and open source community.
CNN have a very interesting article about Microsoft, FOSS and all of the controversy surrounding their claim that Linux infringes upon Microsoft's patents. Apparently, Ballmer reckons the exact number of violations is at 235.
Microsoft counters that it is a matter of principle. "We live in a world where we honor, and support the honoring of, intellectual property," says Ballmer in an interview. FOSS patrons are going to have to "play by the same rules as the rest of the business," he insists. "What's fair is fair."
Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith and licensing chief Horacio Gutierrez sat down with Fortune recently to map out their strategy for getting FOSS users to pay royalties. Revealing the precise figure for the first time, they state that FOSS infringes on no fewer than 235 Microsoft patents.
The fact remains that the software idea patenting system is a complete mess and you would be hard pressed to find a non-trivial application that infringe's someone's patents. As far as I'm concerned, Microsoft's move here is just FUD and hyperbole.
Nevertheless, it's actually a very interesting (and long) article on the subject, so it's well worth a read through if you're interested.
