PHP License
Encyclopedia
The PHP License is the software license under which the PHP
scripting language is released. The PHP License is a non-copyleft
free software
license according to the Free Software Foundation
and an open source
license according to the Open Source Initiative
. The license is GPL-incompatible
due to restrictions on the usage of the term PHP.
or binary
form with or without modifications provided that:
Version 3 of PHP used a dual license
- PHP 3's source is available under either the PHP License or the GNU General Public License
(GPL). This practice was discontinued as of PHP 4, with PHP's developers citing the restrictions on reuse associated with the GPL's copyleft
enforcement as being the reason for dropping it.
accepted is still undecided, even though the discussion has been somewhat quiet since 2008.
PHP
PHP is a general-purpose server-side scripting language originally designed for web development to produce dynamic web pages. For this purpose, PHP code is embedded into the HTML source document and interpreted by a web server with a PHP processor module, which generates the web page document...
scripting language is released. The PHP License is a non-copyleft
Copyleft
Copyleft is a play on the word copyright to describe the practice of using copyright law to offer the right to distribute copies and modified versions of a work and requiring that the same rights be preserved in modified versions of the work...
free software
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
license according to the Free Software Foundation
Free Software Foundation
The Free Software Foundation is a non-profit corporation founded by Richard Stallman on 4 October 1985 to support the free software movement, a copyleft-based movement which aims to promote the universal freedom to create, distribute and modify computer software...
and an open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
license according to the Open Source Initiative
Open Source Initiative
The Open Source Initiative is an organization dedicated to promoting open source software.The organization was founded in February 1998, by Bruce Perens and Eric S. Raymond, prompted by Netscape Communications Corporation publishing the source code for its flagship Netscape Communicator product...
. The license is GPL-incompatible
License compatibility
License compatibility refers to the problem with licenses applied to works subject to copyright, particularly licenses of software packages, which can contain contradictory requirements, rendering it impossible to combine source code from such packages or content from such works in order to create...
due to restrictions on the usage of the term PHP.
Terms
The PHP License is designed to encourage widespread adoption of the source code. Redistribution is permitted in sourceSource code
In computer science, source code is text written using the format and syntax of the programming language that it is being written in. Such a language is specially designed to facilitate the work of computer programmers, who specify the actions to be performed by a computer mostly by writing source...
or binary
Binary file
A binary file is a computer file which may contain any type of data, encoded in binary form for computer storage and processing purposes; for example, computer document files containing formatted text...
form with or without modifications provided that:
- The PHP License copyrightCopyrightCopyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
statement is included; - The word "PHP" is not included in the title of any derivative works;
- The following acknowledgment is included in whatever form the code is redistributed under:
This product includes PHP software, freely available from <http://www.php.net/software/>
Version 3 of PHP used a dual license
Dual license
Multi-licensing is the practice of distributing software under two or more different sets of terms and conditions. This may mean multiple different licenses or sets of licenses. Prefixes may be used to indicate the number of licenses used, e.g...
- PHP 3's source is available under either the PHP License or the GNU General Public License
GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
(GPL). This practice was discontinued as of PHP 4, with PHP's developers citing the restrictions on reuse associated with the GPL's copyleft
Copyleft
Copyleft is a play on the word copyright to describe the practice of using copyright law to offer the right to distribute copies and modified versions of a work and requiring that the same rights be preserved in modified versions of the work...
enforcement as being the reason for dropping it.
DFSG License status
According to a discussion on the debian-legal mailinglist, the status of making the PHP license DFSGDebian Free Software Guidelines
The Debian Free Software Guidelines is a set of guidelines that the Debian Project uses to determine whether a software license is a free software license, which in turn is used to determine whether a piece of software can be included in Debian...
accepted is still undecided, even though the discussion has been somewhat quiet since 2008.