I have re-licensed some of my scripts under the LGPL, which means you can use them as part of other non-GPL software.
The scripts in question are:
- JavaScript number formatting
- JavaScript date/time formatting and parsing
- JavaScript date/time chooser for HTML documents
- JavaScript “combo box” simulation
Why the change?
I’ve always released my work under the GPL, but now that I’m writing and making available smaller scripts that might be used as part of a larger software system, the GPL isn’t as appropriate, because of the licensing requirements it places on the rest of the systems with which the scripts may be used.
I’m not making the decision casually. I’m a firm believer in free software, as in software freedom. Not only should software be open and un-encumbered by restrictions, but this freedom should be guaranteed even to the extent of prohibiting someone from making a restricted non-free work based on it. Software is encoded knowledge that belongs to humanity as a whole, just as certainly as mathematical formulae. That’s why I oppose non-free software and software patents.
However, for certain small scripts I’ve written, this rigid approach doesn’t make sense. I’m not releasing these scripts as “software.” The scripts mainly serve as working examples of principles and methods I’m trying to illustrate. From that point of view, the knowledge encoded in the scripts is already free — it’s in the articles I write to introduce the scripts, techniques and algorithms. Plus, I’m not breaking any new ground with the articles, either. Nothing I say here is revolutionary.
I read Richard Stallman’s writing carefully. Though he has a reputation for being a hard-liner, I value his opinions and judgement highly. When I’ve had contact with him, he’s come across just as he does in his essays: as a man of principles, which he will not yield. I respect that. One of his essays is about not using the LGPL. For the reasons stated above, I don’t think the points raised in that essay are applicable to the scripts I’ve released on this website. I believe these scripts are best released under a more permissive license.
The future
This is also a forward-looking change. I’m not trying to be grandiose about these little scripts I’ve written. They’re small snippets and they won’t change the world. But I’ve been working on some other things that are more significant, and I want everything I release to be licensed consistently with my beliefs. When I release these other projects, I’ll be careful to license them in accordance with what they are, what they do, and how others might find them useful.
I hope you, or the projects you’re working on, will find my work useful. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, comments, or improvements.
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Sounds good man. Have there been any other changes to those scripts other than the new license?
-E
Yeah, there have been changes and improvements, but when and what were they? I don’t know.
Another improvement I want to make is make it easier to download them, along with a “change log,” which is my innovative new idea to track the changes I’ve made ;-) Soon I’ll be packaging them up and making very visible “download this script” links on the pages. I’ve also been very lax about putting them into version control, though I’m not sure why, since I’ve even got a CVS repository set up on my web server. I guess it’s a case of the cobbler’s children going barefoot — I do this stuff all the time at my work, but for some reason I never gave much thought to doing it for these scripts.
Hrrm… I like this ‘changelog’ idea that you have invented… Can you do an article on what it does and how you use it? ;)
Speaking of CVSishness, do you have any experience with any web-based platforms? I’ve used (and will probably just stick with) SourceForge for a new project I’m starting, but the interface makes me cringe. I’ve been looking around for some new ‘Web2.0-ish’ online project management thing but haven’t had any luck yet. Any ideas?
I would just run my own, but I don’t have a decent server connected to the internet yet… heh.
-E
Eric, I haven’t used any web-based version control systems. I’m primarily a command-line lover. I have used Microsoft Visual Source[un]Safe at a previous employer, and hate its guts. I’ve used CVS and Subversion the most. I evaluated a bunch of systems for an employer once, and in my opinion CVS and Subversion are excellent choices for most jobs, especially when run over SSH to a remote server with public-key authentication (and if you use Windows, check out TortoiseCVS and TortoiseSVN, as they are tremendous tools). There are issues with both systems but it’s not a big deal for most projects. There are actually a ton of systems available, most of them better at some specialized task (e.g. Bitkeeper, git).
I’ve packaged the scripts up and made prominent download links at the tops of the respective articles. All of them are in version control now, too. Enjoy!
Thanks. I couldn’t agree more on your hatred of VSS. Nasty stuff. I’ve had great luck in the past with Subversion, but a new project I’ve become involved with is entirely webbased and I’ve been keeping my eyes open for web based solutions that may be a better fit. Oh well.
Thanks for your help. Keep posting great SQL tips. They are invaluable to me.
-E