Google: Will anyone comply with the open-source license agreement?

Google: Will anyone comply with the open source license agreement?

SubmittedJiashixiangOn 2006, August 28, am. Search

High-level Open-Source Definition

Have you followed the open-source software you used with a license agreement? Chris DiBona, Google's open-source project director, has a deep understanding of this issue.

At a recent open-source Summit, during his 90-minute speech, DiBona explained the main differences between various open-source license protocols and how to comply with them.

He also explained how Google, which uses various methods to consume, produce, and support open-source software, handles complicated and variable processes.CodeLicensed. The core of all open-source software lies in the open-source license that is followed when the software is released. According to DiBona, the term "Open Source" is easily defined at a high level: "software recognized by open source research institutes ."

However, he also warned that not all companies that claim to be open-source are truly open-source. "If you take a closer look, vendors participating in the various open-source summits will mention open-source words, but sometimes they are lying. Sometimes they just disagree with "License Agreement a" or "license agreement B ."

GPL open source license

It is not easy to tell the root cause of whether a software is truly open-source, because the open-source research institute has approved more than 60 licenses. However, among the more than 60 licenses, one license clearly dominates the Open Source world. "GPL (General Public License, Universal Public License Agreement) is the most important license in the open-source world today," DiBona said ." According to research by Google quoted by DiBonaSource code45% of all open source software --- 50%.

In fact, GPL is so widely used that we should better understand the terms.

GPL is a reciprocal protocol. The code that follows GPL must always be free, and the released software must beCommunity. DiBona said that the problem with many licenses is that different parts of the Code follow different licenses, and these parts are eventually pieced together into an application.Program.

Impact of License Agreement on Open Source

Some licenses are always not that nice. "In the end, it will affect your efficiency," DiBona said. Understanding this problem will help you get rid of this situation ."

Many licenses may violate the meaning of the license and the meaning of the license. Many of the terms in the license are unclear, and no severe penalty will be imposed in violation of the license. "Google follows this because it is correct. Financial penalties are not that serious ." DiBona mentioned that people often violate the law due to licensing issues, but they are easy to make compensation. In DiBona's view, most programmers only aim to ensure that their code and programs continue to spread in the form of open source. "The final result is that developers want others to use their code-which is terrible ."

In the current version of GPL, some terms are often misunderstood.

"If you connect to this code, you need to set the code you generated to free use ." However, there is no clear explanation of the connection. For example, if a user uses gccto to compile the program, it does not mean that the generated software complies with GPL. "Most people think that a connection is a dynamic connection to a function library," DiBona explained ." According to an extended protocol of GPL, the rules in GPL are simplified, and dynamic connections are not illegal.

GPL and other open-source license terms do not necessarily aim at difficult aspects. "The problem lies not in the reflection, revision and compliance of the law. The most difficult part is tracking the software ."

DiBona said that Google has developed a tracking tool to query information and sources of each software. In this way, the code is isolated and the possibility of violation of the license is minimized.

"We spent a lot of time training engineers ." During the training, DiBona taught Google's new engineers a basic concept, including Google's code library and the importance of distinguishing and distinguishing code segments. "Once they develop the habit of your organization, they will get used to complying with the license ." DiBona eventually attributed the problem to understanding the source of open-source programs in order to better use open-source software. That is to say, you can enjoy the benefits of open source code and participate in the development process by using open source code in your own software.

DiBona said that everyone must understand that most open-source programmers do not write code for money. "They know what they are doing. If they want to collect money from you, they will choose commercial license-there are many opportunities in commercial license. If you want to make money, never give up these opportunities ."

In his speech, DiBona did mention that open source can make money, but it is not feasible to reuse license fees. "99% of open-source projects were initiated by one or two people who encountered issues of interest, and they used permits to collaborate with each other," DiBona said ." "Open-Source Licenses have created an environment for us to work together, rather than an excuse for mutual extortion ."