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The exceptions provide gpl2 compatibility, gplv3 is already compatible with Apache 2. As for why nobody did this before, i suspect the fsf wanted folks to move
by DannyBee 10y ago
The exceptions provide gpl2 compatibility, gplv3 is already compatible with Apache 2.
As for why nobody did this before, i suspect the fsf wanted folks to move to gplv3, and neither side really wanted to do something like this. There are disadvantages to doing it like this, but it was felt this was the best we could really do.
Remember also that both those organizations have very different goals.
- paxcoder 10y agoASLv2 is compatible with GPLv3 (works under ASLv2 can be inorporated into GPLv3), but not vice versa. This is because GPL has (arguably useful) restrictions which ASL does not. A common goal of ASLv2 and GPLv3 is the restriction on patents, which makes them both incompatible with GPLv2. This is an important difference which makes GPLv3 a superior freedom-preserving license to v2, and the resulting incompatibility is not a matter of interpretation - you can't downgrade licenses. It is unfortunate that Linux was not licensed as GPLv2 or later which is, alongside Linus' support for TiVoization(DrM) and the corporate lawyers' spreading of FUD, the reason why we're still forced to discuss GPLv2.