Re: [OT] What does 'General Public License' mean?
On Tue, Jun 20, 2000 at 09:34:15AM +0200, Marcelo E. Magallon wrote:
> Ok... let me put it in another way: are the any common phrases in
> English that might be somehow related to this particular wording? Or
> yet in another way: is there a specific legal meaning for "public
> license"? If yes, how is this meaning changed by saying "General
> (Public License)"? Or yet antoher: what would "(General Public)
> License" mean? Who is /not/ part of the "general public"?
While it's true that a good command of the English language helps in
understanding the GPL, I don't think that there are very many english
classes which spend time on the GPL as a topic. Actually, I'm not aware
of any english classes that spend time on the GPL.
Here's how I interpret the phrase:
Public License -- this license is intended to be reusable by anyone.
General Public License -- this license is intended to be useful for
most people.
A public license that isn't general would be intended to be reusable by
a number of people, but maybe in some more limited context.
For example, an Okeechobee Public License, if it existed, might be
intended for use only by the people of Okeechobee.
--
Raul
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