Forgejo is now copyleft, just like Git

pnutzh4x0r@lemmy.ndlug.org · 4 months ago

Forgejo is now copyleft, just like Git

LemoineFairclough@sh.itjust.works · 4 months ago

It seems there was a pre-existing agreement to use the GNU GPL with Forgejo, and it seems to me that the GNU AGPL is not compatible with the GNU GPL.

There is more discussion about that around https://codeberg.org/forgejo/discussions/issues/201

I’m assuming that there has been some resistance to using the GNU AGPL with Forgejo (it seems the discussions about licenses has been contentious), and the GNU GPL seems to have been discussed much more than the GNU AGPL. It was probably overwhelmingly likely that we would get Forgejo with the GNU GPL rather than the GNU AGPL. I would have preferred that the GNU AGPL was used instead, but I’m not going to worry about it much since I probably can’t change this situation for the better.

exu@feditown.com · 4 months ago

You’re right, seems like GPLv2 is incompatible with AGPL. GPLv3 includes extra clauses to allow it.

From the GNU Licensing page

Please note that the GNU AGPL is not compatible with GPLv2. It is also technically not compatible with GPLv3 in a strict sense: you cannot take code released under the GNU AGPL and convey or modify it however you like under the terms of GPLv3, or vice versa. However, you are allowed to combine separate modules or source files released under both of those licenses in a single project, which will provide many programmers with all the permission they need to make the programs they want. See section 13 of both licenses for details.