On Mon, Jul 12, 2010 at 6:00 PM, Jake b <ninmonk...@gmail.com> wrote: > I'm starting a new python code project. What license do you suggest? I > am searching, but I'm not finding a simple comparison of licenses. So > I don't know which to use. Maybe MIT or Apache or LGPL or BSD?
Fair warning: I like and use the GPL a lot, so I'm biased. Take my advice with a grain of salt and recognize that while everybody has some semi-rational basis for the license they choose, in the end the decision is likely to be made on dogmatic grounds. > Are there certain licenses to avoid using because of interaction > problems between libraries using GPL2 / GPL3 / MIT / LGPL. / BSD with > my own? Generally, GPL'd code likes GPL'd code and BSD/MIT etc are more free-form. Depending on what you leverage this may or may not be a problem for you. > I want: > 1] Pretty much let anyone use it. Users do not have to include source > code, as long as I get credit. (which I think normallly is a textfile > with project url + name?) GPL is pretty much out then. CC-BY-* may be the way to go. > 2] (if it matters) I will be using different combinations of pyglet, > pygame, wxPython, etc. Not going to dig through those to find the licenses for you. Be aware that their choices impact yours. > 3] I want the option to use my own code in something commercial at a later > date. Not generally an issue. Even GPL lets you sell your stuff. > Does #3 complicate things, or is fine when including author info? If you have many contributors it can. > The choices for google code projects are: > Apache License 2.0 Good choice, not my flavor but it does preserve attribution. > Eclipse license 1.0 Small license, doesn't give you the same degree of legal muscle that some others will if it gets violated. > GPLv2 > GPLv3 Both out on the source-not-required part. Personally, I like them (and the Artistic License) for exactly that reason. > GNU lesser GPL Fewer restrictions on linking, etc, but probably not what I would recommend here. > MIT license Good choice, well understood and widely used. Note that attribution is not preserved, although copyright is. That may or may not be enough for you. > Mozilla Public license 1.1 I'd avoid it, same caveats for the eclipse license and few obvious advantages. > New BSD License Also a good choice, same caveat as the X11 license. Geremy Condra -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
