Perl 5 version 24.3 documentation

perlgpl

SYNOPSIS

  1.  You can refer to this document in Pod via "L<perlgpl>"
  2.  Or you can see this document by entering "perldoc perlgpl"

DESCRIPTION

Perl is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of either:

  1.         a) the GNU General Public License as published by the Free
  2.         Software Foundation; either version 1, or (at your option) any
  3.         later version, or
  5.         b) the "Artistic License" which comes with this Kit.

This is the "GNU General Public License, version 1". It's here so that modules, programs, etc., that want to declare this as their distribution license can link to it.

For the Perl Artistic License, see perlartistic.

GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE

  1.                     GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
  2.                      Version 1, February 1989
  4.   Copyright (C) 1989 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
  5.                 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301  USA
  7.   Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies
  8.   of this license document, but changing it is not allowed.
  10.                             Preamble
  12.    The license agreements of most software companies try to keep users
  13.  at the mercy of those companies.  By contrast, our General Public
  14.  License is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free
  15.  software--to make sure the software is free for all its users.  The
  16.  General Public License applies to the Free Software Foundation's
  17.  software and to any other program whose authors commit to using it.
  18.  You can use it for your programs, too.
  20.    When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not
  21.  price.  Specifically, the General Public License is designed to make
  22.  sure that you have the freedom to give away or sell copies of free
  23.  software, that you receive source code or can get it if you want it,
  24.  that you can change the software or use pieces of it in new free
  25.  programs; and that you know you can do these things.
  27.    To protect your rights, we need to make restrictions that forbid
  28.  anyone to deny you these rights or to ask you to surrender the rights.
  29.  These restrictions translate to certain responsibilities for you if you
  30.  distribute copies of the software, or if you modify it.
  32.    For example, if you distribute copies of a such a program, whether
  33.  gratis or for a fee, you must give the recipients all the rights that
  34.  you have.  You must make sure that they, too, receive or can get the
  35.  source code.  And you must tell them their rights.
  37.    We protect your rights with two steps: (1) copyright the software,
  38.  and (2) offer you this license which gives you legal permission to
  39.  copy, distribute and/or modify the software.
  41.    Also, for each author's protection and ours, we want to make certain
  42.  that everyone understands that there is no warranty for this free
  43.  software.  If the software is modified by someone else and passed on,
  44.  we want its recipients to know that what they have is not the original,
  45.  so that any problems introduced by others will not reflect on the
  46.  original authors' reputations.
  48.    The precise terms and conditions for copying, distribution and
  49.  modification follow.
  51.                     GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
  52.     TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION
  54.    0. This License Agreement applies to any program or other work which
  55.  contains a notice placed by the copyright holder saying it may be
  56.  distributed under the terms of this General Public License.  The
  57.  "Program", below, refers to any such program or work, and a "work based
  58.  on the Program" means either the Program or any work containing the
  59.  Program or a portion of it, either verbatim or with modifications.
  60.  Each licensee is addressed as "you".
  62.    1. You may copy and distribute verbatim copies of the Program's
  63.  source code as you receive it, in any medium, provided that you
  64.  conspicuously and appropriately publish on each copy an appropriate
  65.  copyright notice and disclaimer of warranty; keep intact all the
  66.  notices that refer to this General Public License and to the absence of
  67.  any warranty; and give any other recipients of the Program a copy of
  68.  this General Public License along with the Program.  You may charge a
  69.  fee for the physical act of transferring a copy.
  71.    2. You may modify your copy or copies of the Program or any portion
  72.  of it, and copy and distribute such modifications under the terms of
  73.  Paragraph 1 above, provided that you also do the following:
  75.      a) cause the modified files to carry prominent notices stating that
  76.      you changed the files and the date of any change; and
  78.      b) cause the whole of any work that you distribute or publish, that
  79.      in whole or in part contains the Program or any part thereof,
  80.      either with or without modifications, to be licensed at no charge
  81.      to all third parties under the terms of this General Public License
  82.      (except that you may choose to grant warranty protection to some or
  83.      all third parties, at your option).
  85.      c) If the modified program normally reads commands interactively
  86.      when run, you must cause it, when started running for such
  87.      interactive use in the simplest and most usual way, to print or
  88.      display an announcement including an appropriate copyright notice
  89.      and a notice that there is no warranty (or else, saying that you
  90.      provide a warranty) and that users may redistribute the program
  91.      under these conditions, and telling the user how to view a copy of
  92.      this General Public License.
  94.      d) You may charge a fee for the physical act of transferring a
  95.      copy, and you may at your option offer warranty protection in
  96.      exchange for a fee.
  98.  Mere aggregation of another independent work with the Program (or its
  99.  derivative) on a volume of a storage or distribution medium does not
  100.  bring the other work under the scope of these terms.
  102.    3. You may copy and distribute the Program (or a portion or
  103.  derivative of it, under Paragraph 2) in object code or executable form
  104.  under the terms of Paragraphs 1 and 2 above provided that you also do
  105.  one of the following:
  107.      a) accompany it with the complete corresponding machine-readable
  108.      source code, which must be distributed under the terms of
  109.      Paragraphs 1 and 2 above; or,
  111.      b) accompany it with a written offer, valid for at least three
  112.      years, to give any third party free (except for a nominal charge
  113.      for the cost of distribution) a complete machine-readable copy of
  114.      the corresponding source code, to be distributed under the terms of
  115.      Paragraphs 1 and 2 above; or,
  117.      c) accompany it with the information you received as to where the
  118.      corresponding source code may be obtained.  (This alternative is
  119.      allowed only for noncommercial distribution and only if you
  120.      received the program in object code or executable form alone.)
  122.  Source code for a work means the preferred form of the work for making
  123.  modifications to it.  For an executable file, complete source code
  124.  means all the source code for all modules it contains; but, as a
  125.  special exception, it need not include source code for modules which
  126.  are standard libraries that accompany the operating system on which the
  127.  executable file runs, or for standard header files or definitions files
  128.  that accompany that operating system.
  130.    4. You may not copy, modify, sublicense, distribute or transfer the
  131.  Program except as expressly provided under this General Public License.
  132.  Any attempt otherwise to copy, modify, sublicense, distribute or
  133.  transfer the Program is void, and will automatically terminate your
  134.  rights to use the Program under this License.  However, parties who
  135.  have received copies, or rights to use copies, from you under this
  136.  General Public License will not have their licenses terminated so long
  137.  as such parties remain in full compliance.
  139.    5. By copying, distributing or modifying the Program (or any work
  140.  based on the Program) you indicate your acceptance of this license to
  141.  do so, and all its terms and conditions.
  143.    6. Each time you redistribute the Program (or any work based on the
  144.  Program), the recipient automatically receives a license from the
  145.  original licensor to copy, distribute or modify the Program subject to
  146.  these terms and conditions.  You may not impose any further
  147.  restrictions on the recipients' exercise of the rights granted herein.
  149.    7. The Free Software Foundation may publish revised and/or new
  150.  versions of the General Public License from time to time.  Such new
  151.  versions will be similar in spirit to the present version, but may
  152.  differ in detail to address new problems or concerns.
  154.  Each version is given a distinguishing version number.  If the Program
  155.  specifies a version number of the license which applies to it and "any
  156.  later version", you have the option of following the terms and
  157.  conditions either of that version or of any later version published by
  158.  the Free Software Foundation.  If the Program does not specify a
  159.  version number of the license, you may choose any version ever
  160.  published by the Free Software Foundation.
  162.    8. If you wish to incorporate parts of the Program into other free
  163.  programs whose distribution conditions are different, write to the
  164.  author to ask for permission.  For software which is copyrighted by the
  165.  Free Software Foundation, write to the Free Software Foundation; we
  166.  sometimes make exceptions for this.  Our decision will be guided by the
  167.  two goals of preserving the free status of all derivatives of our free
  168.  software and of promoting the sharing and reuse of software generally.
  170.                             NO WARRANTY
  172.    9. BECAUSE THE PROGRAM IS LICENSED FREE OF CHARGE, THERE IS NO
  173.  WARRANTY FOR THE PROGRAM, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW.
  174.  EXCEPT WHEN OTHERWISE STATED IN WRITING THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND/OR
  175.  OTHER PARTIES PROVIDE THE PROGRAM "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
  176.  EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED
  177.  WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
  178.  THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE PROGRAM IS
  179.  WITH YOU.  SHOULD THE PROGRAM PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE COST OF
  180.  ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION.
  182.    10. IN NO EVENT UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR AGREED TO IN
  183.  WRITING WILL ANY COPYRIGHT HOLDER, OR ANY OTHER PARTY WHO MAY MODIFY
  184.  AND/OR REDISTRIBUTE THE PROGRAM AS PERMITTED ABOVE, BE LIABLE TO YOU
  185.  FOR DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR
  186.  CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE
  187.  PROGRAM (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF DATA OR DATA BEING
  188.  RENDERED INACCURATE OR LOSSES SUSTAINED BY YOU OR THIRD PARTIES OR A
  189.  FAILURE OF THE PROGRAM TO OPERATE WITH ANY OTHER PROGRAMS), EVEN IF
  190.  SUCH HOLDER OR OTHER PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
  191.  DAMAGES.
  193.                      END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS
  195.         Appendix: How to Apply These Terms to Your New Programs
  197.    If you develop a new program, and you want it to be of the greatest
  198.  possible use to humanity, the best way to achieve this is to make it
  199.  free software which everyone can redistribute and change under these
  200.  terms.
  202.    To do so, attach the following notices to the program.  It is safest
  203.  to attach them to the start of each source file to most effectively
  204.  convey the exclusion of warranty; and each file should have at least
  205.  the "copyright" line and a pointer to where the full notice is found.
  207.      <one line to give the program's name and a brief idea of what it
  208.      does.>
  209.      Copyright (C) 19yy  <name of author>
  211.      This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
  212.      modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as
  213.      published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 1, or (at
  214.      your option) any later version.
  216.      This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
  217.      but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
  218.      MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
  219.      GNU General Public License for more details.
  221.      You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
  222.      along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
  223.      Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston MA
  224.      02110-1301 USA
  227.  Also add information on how to contact you by electronic and paper
  228.  mail.
  230.  If the program is interactive, make it output a short notice like this
  231.  when it starts in an interactive mode:
  233.      Gnomovision version 69, Copyright (C) 19xx name of author
  234.      Gnomovision comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY; for details type
  235.      'show w'.  This is free software, and you are welcome to
  236.      redistribute it under certain conditions; type 'show c' for
  237.      details.
  239.  The hypothetical commands 'show w' and 'show c' should show the
  240.  appropriate parts of the General Public License.  Of course, the
  241.  commands you use may be called something other than 'show w' and 'show
  242.  c'; they could even be mouse-clicks or menu items--whatever suits your
  243.  program.
  245.  You should also get your employer (if you work as a programmer) or your
  246.  school, if any, to sign a "copyright disclaimer" for the program, if
  247.  necessary.  Here a sample; alter the names:
  249.    Yoyodyne, Inc., hereby disclaims all copyright interest in the
  250.    program 'Gnomovision' (a program to direct compilers to make passes
  251.    at assemblers) written by James Hacker.
  253.    <signature of Ty Coon>, 1 April 1989
  254.    Ty Coon, President of Vice
  256.  That's all there is to it!