[Python-Dev] Python 2.0 License Discussion Mailing List Created (original) (raw)

Guido van Rossum guido@beopen.com
Mon, 28 Aug 2000 17:30:10 -0500

Now that the CNRI license issues are nearly settled, BeOpen.com needs to put its own license on Python 2.0 (as a derivative work of CNRI's Python 1.6) too. We want an open discussion about the new license with the Python community, and have established a mailing list for this purpose. To participate subscribe, go to

http://mailman.beopen.com/mailman/listinfo/license-py20

and follow the instructions for subscribing. The mailing list is unmoderated, open to all, and archived (at http://mailman.beopen.com/pipermail/license-py20/).

Your questions, concerns and suggestions are welcome!

Our initial thoughts are to use a slight adaptation of the CNRI license for Python 1.6, adding an "or GPL" clause, meaning that Python 2.0 can be redistributed under the Python 2.0 license or under the GPL (like Perl can be redistributed under the Artistic license or under the GPL).

Note that I don't want this list to degenerate into flaming about the CNRI license (except as it pertains directly to the 2.0 license) -- there's little we can do about the CNRI license, and it has been beaten to death on comp.lang.python.

In case you're in the dark about the CNRI license, please refer to http://www.python.org/1.6/download.html for the license text and to http://www.python.org/1.6/license_faq.html for a list of frequently asked questions about the license and CNRI's answers.

Note that we're planning to release the first beta release of Python 2.0 on September 4 -- however we can change the license for the final release.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.pythonlabs.com/~guido/)