www/licenses why-affero-gpl.html

[Matt Lee]

CVSROOT:        /web/www
Module name:    www
Changes by:     Matt Lee <mattl>        10/03/17 05:06:04

Added files:
        licenses       : why-affero-gpl.html 

Log message:
        added page for RMS

CVSWeb URLs:
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/licenses/why-affero-gpl.html?cvsroot=www&rev=1.1

Patches:
Index: why-affero-gpl.html
===================================================================
RCS file: why-affero-gpl.html
diff -N why-affero-gpl.html
--- /dev/null   1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 -0000
+++ why-affero-gpl.html 17 Mar 2010 05:06:01 -0000      1.1
@@ -0,0 +1,124 @@
+<!--#include virtual="/server/header.html" -->
+
+<title>Why the GNU Affero GPL - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation 
(FSF)</title>
+
+<!--#include virtual="/server/banner.html" -->
+
+<h2>Why the Affero GPL</h2>
+
+<p>The GNU Affero General Public License is a modified version of the
+ordinary GNU GPL version 3.  It has one added requirement: if you run
+the program on a server and let other users communicate with it there,
+your server must also allow them to download the source code
+corresponding to the program that it's running.  If what's running
+there is your modified version of the program, the server's users must
+get the source code as you modified it.</p>
+
+<p>The purpose of the GNU Affero GPL is to prevent a problem that affects
+developers of free programs that are often used on servers.</p>
+
+<p>Suppose you develop and release a free program under the ordinary GNU
+GPL.  If developer D modifies the program and releases it, the GPL
+requires him to distribute his version under the GPL too.  Thus, if
+you get a copy of his version, you are free to incorporate some or all
+of his changes into your own version.</p>
+
+<p>But suppose the program is mainly useful on servers.  When D modifies
+the program, he might very likely run it on his own server and never
+release copies.  Then you would never get a copy of the source code of
+his version, so you would never have the chance to include his changes
+in your version.  You may not like that outcome.</p>
+
+<p>Using the GNU Affero GPL avoids that outcome.  If D runs his version
+on a server that everyone can use, you too can use it.  Assuming he
+has followed the license requirement to let the server's users
+download the source code of his version, you can do so, and then you
+can incorporate his changes into your version.  (If he hasn't followed
+it, you have your lawyer complain to him.)</p>
+
+<p>Both the ordinary GNU GPL, version 3, and the GNU Affero GPL, have
+text allowing you to link together modules under these two licenses
+in one program.</p>
+
+<p>One problem which the GNU Affero GPL does not address is the problem
+of Software as a Service (SaaS).  It is impossible, as far as we know,
+to address this problem with a software license.</p>
+
+<p>SaaS means the use of someone's network server, by others, to do work
+which is their own computing.  The have to send their data to the
+server, which does their computing for them, and sends the results
+back to them.  SaaS is a problem because the users cannot control the
+computing which the server does for them.</p>
+
+<p>If some program on this server is released under the GNU Affero GPL,
+it requires that the users have a way to download the corresponding
+source of that program.  That is good, but having this source code
+does not give them control over the. computing the server does for
+them.  It also does not tell them what other software may be running
+on that server, examining or changing their data in other ways.</p>
+
+</div>
+<!--#include virtual="/server/footer.html" -->
+ 
+
+<div id="footer">
+
+<p>
+Please send FSF &amp; GNU inquiries to 
+<a href="mailto:address@hidden";><em>address@hidden</em></a>.
+There are also <a href="/contact/">other ways to contact</a> 
+the FSF.
+<br />
+Please send broken links and other corrections or suggestions to
+<a href="mailto:address@hidden";><em>address@hidden</em></a>.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Please see the 
+<a href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations
+README</a> for information on coordinating and submitting
+translations of this article.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Copyright notice above.</p>
+<address>51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110, USA</address>
+
+<p>
+Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is
+permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is 
+preserved.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Updated:
+<!-- timestamp start -->
+$Date: 2010/03/17 05:06:01 $
+<!-- timestamp end -->
+</p>
+</div>
+
+<div id="translations">
+<h4>Translations of this page</h4>
+
+<!-- Please keep this list alphabetical by language code. -->
+<!-- Comment what the language is for each type, i.e. de is German. -->
+<!-- Write the language name in its own language (Deutsch) in the text. -->
+<!-- If you add a new language here, please -->
+<!-- advise address@hidden and add it to -->
+<!--  - /home/www/html/server/standards/README.translations.html -->
+<!--  - one of the lists under the section "Translations Underway" -->
+<!--  - if there is a translation team, you also have to add an alias -->
+<!--  to mail.gnu.org:/com/mailer/aliases -->
+<!-- Please also check you have the language code right; see: -->
+<!-- http://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/php/code_list.php -->
+<!-- If the 2-letter ISO 639-1 code is not available, -->
+<!-- use the 3-letter ISO 639-2. -->
+<!-- Please use W3C normative character entities. -->
+
+<ul class="translations-list">
+</ul>
+</div>
+</div>
+</body>
+</html>