3 ms·
MIT license history is here: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=9263265 https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=926... Fi
by dwheeler 6y ago
MIT license history is here:
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=9263265 https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=926...
First version 1984, revised version more widely used 1986.
I'm sure that software was released in a permissive wray long before that, but I'd have to do more research, and that's enough for my point.
GPL version 1 was released in 1989:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_General_Public_License https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_General_Public_License
- ShroudedNight 6y ago> I'm sure that software was released in a permissive gray long before that, but I'd have to do more research, and that's enough for my point. For a few bonus swings at the horse, MVS source was freely available until 3.8j in 1981 and AT&T UNIX V6 source was well distributed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MVS#Modern_MVS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MVS#Modern_MVS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lions%27_Commentary_on_UNIX_6th_Edition,_with_Source_Code https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lions%27_Commentary_on_UNIX_6t...
- dwheeler 6y agoTo be fair, in earlier times it wasn't clear if software was copyrightable. In the US the Copyright Act of 1976, which became effective on January 1, 1978, clearly stated that Congress intended software to be copyrightable; before that there were many questions. So before that, in the US many considered any source code distribution as equivalent to a permissive license. Unix v6 source was well distributed, but the Lyons book (with Unix source code)) was only distributed as Samizdat for years because it wasn't clear it was legal.
- zvr 6y agoMinor nit: GPLv1 was released in 1989, but the "copyleft" idea has been used in the license of GNU software releases since 1984.