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What is the main difference between the GNU Affero GPL and the regular GPL?
The difference between the AGPL and traditional GPL is simple: The AGPL seeks to close a “loophole” that allows a company or organization to modify GPL’ed software and use it to provide a service — but without actually distributing changes.
Is GNU Affero General Public License open source?
The GNU General Public License permits making a modified version and letting the public access it on a server without ever releasing its source code to the public.
What is copyleft and how is it used to protect free open-source software?
Copyleft says that anyone who redistributes the software, with or without changes, must pass along the freedom to further copy and change it. Copyleft guarantees that every user has freedom. Copyleft also provides an incentive for other programmers to add to free software.
What was the purpose of the GNU Affero GPL?
The purpose of the GNU Affero GPL is to prevent a problem that affects developers of free programs that are often used on servers. The Open Source Initiative approved the GNU AGPLv3 as an open source license in March 2008 after the company Funambol submitted it for consideration through its CEO Fabrizio Capobianco.
When was the GNU Affero general public license introduced?
The GNU Affero General Public License (“AGPL”) is a special license in the family of open source licenses, creating risks and opportunities that do not exist with most other open source licenses. For a significant period of time after the introduction of this license in late 2007, the use of this license was fairly limited.
What does GPL stand for in the GNU license?
“GPL” stands for “General Public License”. The most widespread such license is the GNU General Public License, or GNU GPL for short. This can be further shortened to “GPL”, when it is understood that the GNU GPL is the one intended.
How does the GNU general public license work?
The GNU General Public License permits making a modified version and letting the public access it on a server without ever releasing its source code to the public. The GNU Affero General Public License is designed specifically to ensure that, in such cases, the modified source code becomes available to the community.