The rules governing the use of most free software programs will be revised for the first time in 15 years, in an open process that begins today.
Free software, once regarded as a tiny counterculture in computing, has become a mainstream technology in recent years, led by the rising popularity of programs like the GNU Linux operating system.
Industry analysts estimate that the value of hardware and software that use the Linux operating system is $40 billion. And Linux has become a competitive alternative to Microsoft's Windows, especially in corporate data centers. So the overhaul of the General Public License, which covers Linux and many other free software programs, is an issue of far greater significance today than before.
''The big boys, corporations and governments, have far more reason to be interested and concerned this time,'' said Eben Moglen, general counsel to the Free Software Foundation, which holds the license, commonly known as the G.P.L.
Details here from the New York Times via LexisONE.