Licenses

[Ben Finney]

On Thu, 12 Jun 2003 16:06:47 -0400, Sean Gilbertson wrote:
> for now I would like some sort of license that allows the user access
> to the code, but not to modify or distribute it.

IANAL, TINLA.

Since you're distributing the code to people, you're allowing those
people to have it.  If they have it, they're allowed to read it.
Copyright law places no restrictions on viewing a work; thus, a
copyright license does not have the power to permit or deny it.

If you don't want people to copy or redistribute (actions which current
copyright law does reserve to you), a simple "Copying and redistribution
prohibited" should do as a reminder.

> I certainly appreciate the GPL, and maybe I'll use it for this project
> later on, but for now I want some freedom before I commit all-the-way
> to an "open source" license like the GPL.

You want to have freedom, but you don't want your users to have freedom?
I find it hard to sympathise with that position.

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