Which License Should I Use?

[Steve Holden]

mojosam wrote:
> I've been watching the flame war about licenses with some interest.
> There are many motivations for those who participate in this sector, so
> disagreements over licenses reflect those agendas.
> 
> I don't have an agenda, at least not right now.  I do plan on writing a
> few programs.
> 
> These will be tools I need for firmware testing.  They will be
> relatively simple things like tools for breaking down data by its
> structure for easy viewing, sending commands/macros over serial ports,
> etc.  Similar things exist, but they don't do everything I need.  These
> will also be excellent learning opportunities for me, since I'm still
> pretty shaky on Python.
> 
> How do I decide on a license?  Are there any web sites that summarize
> the pros and cons?  I guess I don't care too much about how other
> people use it.  These things won't be comprehensive enough or have
> broad enough appeal that somebody will slap a new coat of paint on them
> and try to sell them.  I guess I don't care if somebody incorporates
> them into something bigger.  If somebody were to add features to them,
> it would be nice to get the code and keep the derivative work as open
> source, but I don't think that matters all that much to me.  If
> somebody can add value and find a way of making money at it, I don't
> think I'd be too upset.
> 
> I will be doing the bulk of the coding on my own time, because I need
> to be able to take these tools with me when I change employers.
> However, I'm sure that in the course of using these tools, I will need
> to spend time on the job debugging or tweaking them.  I do not want my
> current employer to have any claim on my code in any way.  Usually if
> you program on company time, that makes what you do a "work for hire".
> I can't contaminate my code like that.  Does that mean the GPL is the
> strongest defense in this situation?
> 
> I'm open to suggestions as to which licenses to consider.  However,
> please try to keep the conversation to the decision process or what
> sounds like it is best for this purpose.  Let's keep the broader issue
> of which license will bring about the fall of Western Civilization on
> the other thread.
> 

Openness is your best protection here, as licensing the software can 
only impose conditions on those who accept it under the license. It 
cannot affect your employer's rights to work you performed while an 
employee. Those rights are determined by applicable law.

The only way to ensure that you can take your own unencumbered copy of 
code you wrote as an employee is to explain the position fully to your 
employer and get their agreement, in writing and in advance, that they 
are prepared to have you do so.

Simply assuming that because you have developed the code "in your own 
time" you have sole rights to it, or even a right to redistribute, is 
likely to lead to trouble and I would recommend against that course of 
action.

Apart from that, as others have suggested it looks like a BSD-style 
license would suit you best.

regards
  Steve
-- 
Steve Holden       +44 150 684 7255  +1 800 494 3119
Holden Web LLC                     www.holdenweb.com
PyCon TX 2006                  www.python.org/pycon/