| GPLv2 vs. GPLv3 for beginners |
Sep. 28, 2007
 A research firm serving the mobile phone industry has published an 18-page whitepaper about open source licensing. Entitled "GPLv2 vs. GPLv3," the paper examines the meteoric rise of open source software, and the forces that shaped each license, before concluding with an extremely detailed point-by-point comparison.
The paper was written by Liz Laffan, a senior VisionMobile analyst with an advanced degree in international political economy. Laffan examines each license not only according to face value, but also in light of the historical forces that shaped each, and how each is commonly interpreted.
Laffan starts with some background on the free and open source software community, and organizations such as the FSF and OSI that lead it. Next, she spends quite a bit of time looking at areas of ambiguity in GPLv2, and how interpretations have evolved during the licence's 16+ year history. The discussion includes mention of risks inherent in software licensing, such as patent and copyright litigation, and how the GPLv2 may or may not differ from other licenses in terms of such risks.
Next, Laffan looks at the process by which the GPLv3 was created, with a special focus on areas that proved contentious or controversial. Naturally, given VisionMobile's focus on device market research, embedded issues such as "Tivoization" are discussed in detail in this section.
The paper concludes with a look at which projects have converted to GPLv3, and which (like the Linux kernel), have so far stuck with GPLv2. Data from intellectual property management tools vendor Palamida is used to quantify conversion rates, with some surprising conclusions.
The remaining eight pages of the paper are devoted to appendices filled with excruciatingly detailed point-by-point analysis of GPLv2 and GPLv3 license differences, lists of new terms defined in the new GPLv3 license, and finally, lists of bibliographic material.
The whitepaper is copyright (c) 2007 VisionMobile Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduced by LinuxDevices.com with permission of the owner.
About the whitepaper's author: Liz Laffan is an Associate with marketing firm VisionMobile Ltd. She has over 15 years experience in the technology industry, particularly in areas such as outsourced technology management, technical due diligence, roadmap dissemination, and software specifications. Laffan holds a BA in Business Studies (Hons) and an MA in International Political Economy from Warwick University, with a specialization on Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights.
VisionMobile describes itself as "a market know-how firm delivering industry research and strategy consulting in the wireless sector. We offer in-depth intelligence and due-diligence on emerging wireless market sectors and first-generation technologies. Our domain expertise lies at the confluence of network operators, handset manufacturers and mobile solution vendors. VisionMobile's clients include tier-1 operators and OEMs, solution vendors and international analyst houses."
Related Stories:
(Click here for further information)
|
|
|
7 Advantages of D2D Backup
For decades, tape has been the backup medium of choice. But, now, disk-to-disk (D2D) backup is gaining in favor. Learn why you should make the move in this whitepaper.
4 Legal Reasons to Control Internet Access
The Internet is obviously a valuable resource for many organizations. However, many are exposed to legal liability concerns because they fail to control Internet access. Learn if you're safe in this white paper.
Rapidly Resolve J2EE Application Problems
Whether you are in the process of building J2EE applications or have J2EE applications already running in production, you must ensure that they deliver the expected ROI. Learn how in this white paper.
Load Testing 2.0 for Web 2.0
There are many unknowns in stress testing Web 2.0 applications. Find out how to test the performance of Web 2.0 in this white paper.
Build Better Games Online
For the game infrastructure providers, life is complex. Making money from games has become more complicated. Why? Find out in this white paper.
Building a Virtual Infrastructure from Servers to Storage
This white paper discusses the virtual storage solutions that reduce cost, increase storage utilization, and address the challenges of backing up and restoring Server environments.
Gaining Faster Wireless Connections with WiMAX
Welcome to what is quickly becoming the hyperconnected world where anything that would benefit from being connected to the network will be connected. Learn more in this white paper.
Is Your Desktop a Security Threat?
The new wave of sophisticated crimeware not only targets specific companies, but also targets desktops and laptops as backdoor entryways into those business’ operations and resources. Learn how to stay safe in this white paper.
Increasing SAN Reliability by 100 Percent
Storage area networks (SAN) are a strong part of storage plans. Learn how to increase your reliability and uptime by 100 percent in this case study.
|
|
|
|
|
news feed