From f4b26f77ab03a1bacf2c49a1982fabe2a58ccb9d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Rainer Gerhards Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:42:14 +0200 Subject: changed some files to grant LGPLv3 extended persmissions on top of GPLv3 this also is the first sign of something that will evolve into a well-defined "rsyslog runtime library" --- doc/licensing.html | 72 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 72 insertions(+) create mode 100644 doc/licensing.html (limited to 'doc/licensing.html') diff --git a/doc/licensing.html b/doc/licensing.html new file mode 100644 index 00000000..93a50930 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/licensing.html @@ -0,0 +1,72 @@ + + +rsyslog licensing + + + +

rsyslog licensing

+

Most important things first: if you intend to use rsyslog inside a GPLv3 compatible project, you are free to do so. You don't even need to continue reading. +If you intend to use rsyslog inside a non-GPLv3 +compatible project, rsyslog offers you some liberties to do that, too. However, you then need +to study the licensing details in depth. +

The project hopes this is a good compromise, which also gives a boost to fellow free +software developers who release under GPLv3. +

And now on to the dirty and boring license details, still on a executive summary level. For the +real details, check source files and the files COPYING and COPYING.LESSER inside the distribution. +

The rsyslog package contains several components: +

+

Each of these components can be thought of as individual projects. In fact, some of the +plugins have different main authors than the rest of the rsyslog package. All of these +components are currently put together into a single "rsyslog" package (tarball) for +convinience: this makes it easier to distribute a consistent version where everything +is included (and in the right versions) to build a full system. Platform package +maintainers in general take the overall package and split off the individual components, so that +users can install only what they need. In source installations, this can be done via the +proper ./configure switches. +

However, while it is convenient to package all parts in a single tarball, it does not +imply all of them are necessarily covered by the same license. Traditionally, GPL licenses +are used for rsyslog, because the project would like to provide free software. GPLv3 has been +used since around 2008 to help fight for our freedom. All rsyslog core programs are +released under GPLv3. But, from the beginning on, plugins were separate projects and we did not +impose and license restrictions on them. So even though all plugins that currently ship with +the rsyslog package are also placed under GPLv3, this can not taken for granted. You need +to check each plugins license terms if in question - this is especially important for +plugins that do NOT ship as part of the rsyslog tarball. +

In order to make rsyslog technology available to a broader range of applications, +the rsyslog runtime is, at least partly, licensed under LGPL. If in doubt, check the source file +licensing comments. As of now, the following files are licensed under LGPL: +

+This list will change as time of the runtime modularization. At some point in the future, there will +be a well-designed set of files inside a runtime library branch and all of these will be LGPL. Some +select extras will probably still be covered by GPL. We are following a similar licensing +model in GnuTLS, which makes effort to reserve some functionality exclusively to open source +projects. +

[manual index] [rsyslog site]

+

This documentation is part of the +rsyslog +project.
+Copyright © 2008 by Rainer +Gerhards and +Adiscon. Last Update: 2008-04-15. +Released under the GNU GPL version 3 or higher.

+ -- cgit