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Software licence facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
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Creative Commons is a type of software license.

A software license is like a set of rules for using a computer program. When you get software, whether you download it or buy it, you usually need to agree to these rules before you can use the program. The person or company who made the software creates or chooses these rules.

These rules often answer important questions like:

  • Can I use this software to make money?
  • Can I share this software with my friends?
  • What am I allowed to do with this program?

What is an End-User License Agreement?

One common type of software license is called an End-User License Agreement, or EULA for short. These agreements are very detailed about what you can and cannot do with the software. They also explain the rights of the software maker over the user. Most EULAs are written by the specific company that made the software and are not usually shared or used by other companies.

What are Open Source Licenses?

Another type of software license is an open source distribution license. These licenses let software creators decide what others can do with the program's source code. Source code is the basic set of instructions that make the software work.

There are many open source licenses available for free. Here are a few popular ones:

  • MIT License: This license is very flexible. It lets anyone use the software for almost any reason.
  • GNU General Public License (often called GPL): This license makes sure that all copies of the software remain free and open source. This means software under GPL cannot be mixed with programs that are proprietary (closed source) because it would break the GPL rules.
  • Apache License: This license is also a free software license. It's often used by bigger companies, like Google.
  • Creative Commons: This is a very popular license, not just for software, but also for things like photos, music, and articles. It lets people share their work freely without giving up all their rights. Wikipedia uses Creative Commons for its pages and other content.

Common Software Licenses

Here is a list of some well-known software licenses:

See also

In Spanish: Licencia de software para niños

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Software licence Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.