License: Difference between revisions
(what it is, why we care) |
No edit summary |
||
| (One intermediate revision by one other user not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
A '''license''' is a legal contract that specifies the terms of use of something, like [[software]] or written [[content]] managed by its use. | A '''license''' is a legal contract that specifies the terms of use of something, like [[software]] or written [[content]] managed by its use. | ||
There are many types of license. Private corporations write them to their own specifications, and may vary them per customer as well as per product. When a more predictable and easier to [[audit]] regime of contracts is required, there may be a [[parametric license]] applied with many "blanks" to fill in.[[Consortium license]]s and some [[open source]] regimes rely on these relatively heavily | There are many types of license. Private corporations write them to their own specifications, and may vary them per customer as well as per product. When a more predictable and easier to [[audit]] regime of contracts is required, there may be a [[parametric license]] applied with many "blanks" to fill in. [[Consortium license]]s and some [[open source]] regimes rely on these relatively heavily. | ||
The [[free software]] licenses are unique in that they try to be "one size fits all". This may be appropriate for very core and technically constrained elements such as an operating system, but few people think they apply well to all elements of a [[Distributed Consumerium|complex distributed system]]. | The [[free software]] licenses are unique in that they try to be "one size fits all". This may be appropriate for very core and technically constrained elements such as an operating system, but few people think they apply well to all elements of a [[Distributed Consumerium|complex distributed system]]. | ||
It is very essential to carefully choose the licenses used in implementation of [[Consumerium]] for system and content respectively. It will be difficult, so there is a separate [[Consumerium License]] discussion just on this issue alone. | |||
Latest revision as of 23:28, 24 November 2003
A license is a legal contract that specifies the terms of use of something, like software or written content managed by its use.
There are many types of license. Private corporations write them to their own specifications, and may vary them per customer as well as per product. When a more predictable and easier to audit regime of contracts is required, there may be a parametric license applied with many "blanks" to fill in. Consortium licenses and some open source regimes rely on these relatively heavily.
The free software licenses are unique in that they try to be "one size fits all". This may be appropriate for very core and technically constrained elements such as an operating system, but few people think they apply well to all elements of a complex distributed system.
It is very essential to carefully choose the licenses used in implementation of Consumerium for system and content respectively. It will be difficult, so there is a separate Consumerium License discussion just on this issue alone.