General Public License


General Public License

(legal)(GPL, note US spelling) The licence applied to mostsoftware from the Free Software Foundation and the GNUproject and other authors who choose to use it.

The licences for most software are designed to prevent usersfrom sharing or changing it. By contrast, the GNU GeneralPublic License is intended to guarantee the freedom to shareand change free software - to make sure the software is freefor all its users. The GPL is designed to make sure thatanyone can distribute copies of free software (and charge forthis service if they wish); that they receive source code orcan get it if they want; that they can change the software oruse pieces of it in new free programs; and that they know theycan do these things. The GPL forbids anyone to deny othersthese rights or to ask them to surrender the rights. Theserestrictions translate to certain responsibilities for thosewho distribute copies of the software or modify it.

See also General Public Virus.