Python License facts for kids
| Author | Corporation for National Research Initiatives |
|---|---|
| Version | 2.11 and newer |
| Free software | Yes |
| OSI approved | Yes |
| GPL compatible | Some versions |
| Copyleft | No |
The Python License was an old type of computer software license. It was created by a group called the Corporation for National Research Initiatives (CNRI). This license was used for early versions of the Python programming language, specifically versions 1.6 and 2.0, which came out in the year 2000.
A software license is like a set of rules. It tells people how they can use, share, and change a computer program. The Python License was a "permissive" license. This means it allowed people a lot of freedom to use and share the Python code.
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What Was the Python License?
The Python License was similar to another well-known license called the BSD License. Both are considered "free software licenses." This means they let users run, study, change, and share the software freely.
Why Was It Changed?
Even though the Python License was a free software license, it had a problem. Some of its rules made it "incompatible" with another very popular license called the GNU General Public License (GPL). The GPL is used by a lot of free software, including the Linux kernel, which is a core part of many computer operating systems.
Being incompatible meant that if you used code under the Python License, you couldn't easily combine it with code that used the GPL. This made it harder for developers to work together. Because of this issue, CNRI decided to stop using the Python License in 2001.
How Python Got Its First License
Python was first created by a person named Guido van Rossum. When he first made Python, the "copyright" belonged to his employer, the Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI). Copyright means who legally owns the right to copy and distribute something.
Back then, Python was shared under a different license. This old license was compatible with the GPL. Later, Guido van Rossum started working for CNRI. When he moved, CNRI took over the ownership of Python. After some time, CNRI wrote the new Python License for the language.
The New Python License
After the original Python License was retired, a new one was created. This new license is called the Python Software Foundation License. It fixed the compatibility issues. For example, Python version 1.6.1 was released shortly after 1.6. It was almost the same, but it had new licensing terms that were compatible with the GPL. This made it much easier for Python to be used with other free software projects.
See also
In Spanish: Licencia Python para niños
