From 3158f32e477d999dd2c3e6896417dc29134723f1 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "Bradley M. Kuhn" Date: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 16:21:17 -0400 Subject: [PATCH] Introductory discussion of GPLv2 for this section that introduces it. --- compliance-guide.tex | 2 +- gpl-lgpl.tex | 31 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2 files changed, 32 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/compliance-guide.tex b/compliance-guide.tex index abadeb4..a9f2fac 100644 --- a/compliance-guide.tex +++ b/compliance-guide.tex @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ % compliance-guide.tex -*- LaTeX -*- \part{A Practical Guide to GPL Compliance} - +\label{gpl-compliance-guide} \begin{center} {\parindent 0in diff --git a/gpl-lgpl.tex b/gpl-lgpl.tex index 9c4a223..a979360 100644 --- a/gpl-lgpl.tex +++ b/gpl-lgpl.tex @@ -799,6 +799,37 @@ today, was indeed a novel invention for its day\footnote{We're all just \section{The GNU General Public License, Version 2} +The GPLv2 was released two and a half years after GPLv1, and over the +following sixteen years, it became the standard for copyleft licensing until +the release of GPLv3 in 2007 (discussed in more detail in the next section). + +While this tutorial does not discuss the terms of GPLv1 in detail, it is +worth noting below the three key changes that GPLv2 brought: + +\begin{itemize} + +\item Software patents and their danger are explicitly mentioned, inspiring + (in part) the addition of GPLv2\S\S5--7. (These sections are discussed in + detail in \S~\ref{GPLv2s5}, \S~\ref{GPLv2s6} and \S~\ref{GPLv2s7} of this + tutorial.) + +\item GPLv2\S2's copyleft terms are expanded to more explicitly discuss the + issue of combined works. (GPLv2\S2 is discussed in detail in + \S~\ref{GPLv2s2} in this tutorial). + +\item GPLv2\S3 includes more detailed requirements, including the phrase + ``the scripts used to control compilation and installation of the + executable'', which is a central component of current GPLv2 enforcement + . (GPLv2\S3 is discussed in detail in + \S~\ref{GPLv2s3} in this tutorial). +\end{itemize} + +The next chapter discusses GPLv2 in full detail, and readers who wish to dive +into the section-by-section discussion of the GPL should jump ahead now to +that chapter. However, the most interesting fact to note here is how GPLv2 +was published with little fanfare and limited commentary. This contrasts +greatly with the creation of GPLv3. + \section{The GNU General Public License, Version 3} \section{The Innovation of Optional ``Or Any Later'' Version}