Software license

For all of the code we will use GPL 3, with an amendment concerning modifications of the sources when running the software on servers:

Additional requirements are terms that further constrain use, modification or propagation of covered works. […] Only these kinds of additional requirements are allowed by this License: […]4) terms that require, if a modified version of the material they cover is a work intended to interact with users through a computer network, that those users be able to obtain copies of the Corresponding Source of the work through the same network session […]

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older discussions:

Open source software project usually use the GPL or LGPL. These licenses require the software to be freely usable for any purpose. This does include e.g. military and commercial use.

• To my knowledge there are no worked out licenses similar to GPL but forbidding military and commercial use. --Ibu 08:19, 20 October 2006 (CEST)
  • The probability, that someone would be able and willing to use this kind of project for military or commercial uses is IMO very low. Please correct me, but I can not imagine any horrible scenario (as long as it is GPLed). On the other hand, customized licenses create several problems:
    • with service providers (e.g. sourceforge, as Ibu mentioned)
    • with distributors (e.g. usage restrictions do not comform to the Debian Free Software Guidelines and the Open Source Definition - thus some distributions would refuse to ship the software - that would be really ugly)
    • with developers/contributors: some people are not willing to put effort into projects with arbitrarily restrictive licenses --Lars

If we use a license with usage restrictions, then we cannot make use of open source developer tools like sourceforge, but we can install gforge on an own server. Maybe there are other sites allowing restricted licenses?