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| Author | Poul-Henning Kamp |
|---|---|
| Latest version | 42 |
| Publisher | Yes |
| Published | 2004 |
| SPDX identifier | Beerware |
| Debian FSG compatible | Yes |
| FSF approved | Yes (see "informal license" section)[1] |
| OSI approved | No |
| GPL compatible | Yes[1] |
| Copyleft | No[1] |
| Linking from code with a different licence | Yes |
Beerware is a tongue-in-cheek term for software released under a very relaxed license (beerware licensed software). It provides the end user with the right to use a particular program (or do anything else with the source code).[2]
Should the user of the product meet the author and consider the software useful, they are encouraged to either buy the author a beer "in return" or drink one themselves. The Fedora project and Humanitarian-FOSS project at Trinity College recognized the "version 42" beerware license variant as extremely permissive "copyright only" license, and consider it as GPL compatible.[3][4] As of 2016[update] the Free Software Foundation does not mention this license explicitly, but its list of licenses contains an entry for informal licenses, which are listed as free, non-copyleft, and GPL-compatible. However, the FSF recommends the use of more detailed licenses over informal ones.[1]
Many variations on the beerware model have been created. Poul-Henning Kamp's beerware license is simple and short, in contrast to the GPL, which he has described as a "joke".[5] The full text of Kamp's license is:[6]
/* * ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- * "THE BEER-WARE LICENSE" (Revision 42): * <[email protected]> wrote this file. As long as you retain this notice you * can do whatever you want with this stuff. If we meet some day, and you think * this stuff is worth it, you can buy me a beer in return. Poul-Henning Kamp * ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
The license is compatible with proprietary licenses and the GNU GPL, as code under this license has no restrictions whatsoever.
By: Wikipedia.org
Edited: 2021-06-18 15:09:31
Source: Wikipedia.org
