Linux-Turned-FreeBSD Distro Comes Up With A New Software License

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Linux-Turned-FreeBSD Distro Comes Up With A New Software License

While the likes of SprezzOS as the "most beautiful and performant" Linux and OSu as the ultimate operating system have disappeared at the end of the day and are no longer providing comic relief or interesting ambitious debates to Linux users, that other distribution based on Ubuntu and then turned into a FreeBSD distribution is still standing. They're out with an update today and have introduced their own open-source license...

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=MTgxNTY

[TeoLinuX]

I'm so full of "WTF?!?!?" right now

[dungeon]

Vikoperia urtaclie es unrichabule

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compilreer

[stevenc]

Hmmm! Definitions (which may or may not actually appear in the license text).

Also - I guess if you're in the US, it's illegal to contribute to this project since it's based in an embargoed country?

[pouar]

This is neither copyleft nor copyfree. I wouldn't consider it a free software license since they're explicitly telling you you can't link it with another free software license. GPL incompatible licenses like PHP are still free software licenses as GPL incompatibility is a side effect. I doubt the BSD guys would like this license as they're mostly copyfree advocates and not copyleft advocates.

[CTown]

The license directly states that it is incompatible with GPLv3+? Otherwise this license is BSD-like? How often does a license explicitly declare incompatibility with another licence? Was a technical reason ever given for this explicit incompatibility?

[Alejandro Nova]

Moronic License Upgrade for Jabir

Copyright (c) <YEAR>, <OWNER>
All rights reserved.

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.

3. Redistributions of source code or in binary form that integrate code licensed under the GNU Public License version 3 or higher with code licensed under this license, that link themselves with libraries licensed under such license, or that use in any other form content licensed under such license, are expressly forbidden, and any attempt to produce a binary form from a source code mixing or using components licensed under such license, will TERMINATE your rights under this license.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS 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 COPYRIGHT HOLDER 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.

Looks like they were trying to do something like this. This is awful, but there are anti-GPL guys in the BSD camp...

[brosis]

Also - I guess if you're in the US, it's illegal to contribute to this project since it's based in an embargoed country?

US isn't world, otherwise US would stop behaving like as a bloody self-justificating macho-terrorist with completely wild psyche, and start behaving as a Stalin clone. So, embargo yourself all way up!

[Sergio]

Well, looking at their GitHub (https://github.com/prp-e/JabirOS-source) I fail to see what they really try to accomplish. Their official website is full of useless retoric and exotic names like Cadmium UI, but in reality it looks like they've done nothing.

[brosis]

Well, looking at their GitHub (https://github.com/prp-e/JabirOS-source) I fail to see what they really try to accomplish. The website is full of useless retoric and exotic names like Cadmium UI, but in reality it looks like they've done nothing.

Why, they try to convert GPL2+ licensed code into proprietary. This is also the sense of ?3. Also what else is the sense of sentence:
"1. ALL JPPSL LICENSED PROJECTS, CAN BE LINKED WITH ANOTHER LICENSE AFTER MODIFICATION."
and explicit(!) incompatiblity as a condition of license(!):
"2. JPPSL LICENSED PRODUCTS CAN'T BE LINKED WITH GPLv3 (OR HIGHER VERSIONS)"
where 1. is not ever going to happen,..

because of:
"0. ONLY CHANGED/MODIFIED PARTS OF SOURCE WILL BE PUBLISHED UNDER THIS LICENSE"

So the only thing that they can publish under "ANOTHER LICENSE" is "ONLY CHANGED/MODIFIED PARTS", which is not possible due to GPL2 ?2, and ?7 of GPL makes JPPSL ?1 invalid.