OStatic

For most people, the most important part of a software license is the end. That's because they're totally uninterested in the license itself; they are merely interested in scrolling past it, so that they can click on OK and install the software that they are running. For users of open-source software, however, licenses should be extremely important, because they determine what you may and may not do with a particular program. Open-source developers have long debated the merits of the GNU General Public License vs. the BSD License. As open-source software becomes mainstream, and is integrated into larger systems, these age-old arguments are less theoretical than ever, and should be understood not only by developers, but also by managers and executives of organizations working with open source. Van Lindberg's new book is an excellent place to start.

There's been a great foofooraw in the press the last few days over the license terms for Google's new Chrome browser. Various folks were concerned that the EULA for Chrome would give Google ownership of their web postings; Google has admitted that was a mistake, and they fixed the offending clause. But of course, from the open source side of things, our interest in licenses is a bit different.