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Did anybody verify the questions?

jschwart
jschwart Posts: 5
in LFD102 Class Forum

I just tried a course, but ran into this question in a quiz:
Question 2.1

What are the two main types of Open Source Software licenses? Select all answers that apply.

a. Permissive
b. Proprietary
c. Free of charge
d. Restrictive
e. Educational use

While a seems right, b and c would not imply having any source code at all and d and e would imply limitations that would not make something be considered as open source in general. I would expect something like copyleft which is also what Wikipedia suggests.

I have the impression this wasn't really verified by anybody.

Comments

  • fcioanca
    fcioanca Posts: 2,613

    Hi @jschwart

    The two main types of licenses for open source software are mentioned in chapter 2. A copyleft license is a more restrictive type of license, also called protective or reciprocal.

    I hope this helps.
    Flavia

  • jschwart
    jschwart Posts: 5

    Hi @fcioanca,

    It seems there is a misunderstanding. A copyleft license is ensuring that recipients will not face any restrictions. With a permissive license one is able to create a proprietary version of a program which would subsequently restrict recipients of such program.

    Copyleft is not reciprocal. Reciprocity refers to idea of returning the favor towards the original source. Copyleft licenses do not have such requirement. I can create and redistribute modified versions privately without having to share anything with the original author or even them having to be aware.

    Could you update the material to reflect this? Within our line of business these difference have rather significant consequences on whether licensing enables software to be used in particular settings or not and what license to use for our own work. It would be great if we could refer to your material, but right now it deviates too much to be applicable.

    Best regards,
    Julius

  • fcioanca
    fcioanca Posts: 2,613

    Hi @jschwart ,

    We appreciate your feedback. Please note that LFD102 is not meant to be an extensive course on licenses (in fact it barely mentions licenses, only at a high level and mentioning just one general classification approach: permissive vs. restrictive - this is really meant to help in emphasizing the difference between open source code and proprietary code, and nothing more), but a very high level overview on open source software in general. For more on licenses, you can check out Open Source Licensing Basics for Software Developers (LFC191).

    Regards,
    Flavia

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