Chapter 5 – Licenses

Publisher Summary Open source is more than just a license and source code in a public place. The success of an open-source project is influenced mainly by how day-to-day matters are handled, not by the choice of license. Open source requires community, culture, shared vision, and a commitment to continuous design. That a project like Apache can succeed based on a minimal BSD-style license that does not even mention collaboration is proof that one needs to look beyond the license. But the choice of a license can help set the tone for the project and define its legal boundaries. The license that is chosen can also determine how codes from different contributors can be combined and which the natural projects to collaborate with are. None of the advice in this chapter should be taken as legal advice. For the definitive meanings of the licenses described here or for help in drafting ones' own, it is advised to engage a lawyer.