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[20090812] Licensing: GPL on the decline?
Found via slashdot: There's an article on Yahoo!.Tech that asks if the GPL still matters. The article describes that only one out of two dozen companies pick the GPL for products they put under an open source license, and that alternatives like the BSD license are increasingly popular.

Points covered include the GPL limiting developers' ability to make money, benefits of GPL alternatives, possible problems that the GPL may bring in the future, and what alternatives there are to the GPL. We're not there (yet) to completely drop the GPL, though, but increasing mindshare that "Open Source" doesn't automatically mean "GPL" is good. IMHO.

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[20080624] NetBSD Foundation moves to a two-clause BSD license (Updated)
This has been looming around for some time - it has been requested by a couple of companies, and after a vote of the NetBSD developers it's official: NetBSD is now available under a two-clause BSD license. The former advertizement clause (#3) and endorsement clause (#4) have been considered as more hindrance than useful, and thus been removed from the current code.

Here is a full copy of the new license: 

/*-
 * Copyright (c) 2008 The NetBSD Foundation, Inc.
 * All rights reserved.
 *
 * This code is derived from software contributed to The NetBSD Foundation
 * by FOO BAR <baz@example.com>
 *
 * Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
 * modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
 * are met:
 * 1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
 *    notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
 * 2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
 *    notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
 *    documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
 *
 * THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE NETBSD FOUNDATION, INC. AND CONTRIBUTORS
 * ``AS IS'' AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED
 * TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
 * PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED.  IN NO EVENT SHALL THE FOUNDATION OR CONTRIBUTORS
 * BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR
 * CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF
 * SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS
 * INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
 * CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE)
 * ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE
 * POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
 */
Enjoy!

P.S.: While there, here's a funny comparison of the BSD license over time with the various versions of the GPL, in words:

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Disclaimer: All opinion expressed here is purely my own. No responsibility is taken for anything.
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