GPLFamilien

GPLFamilien is a term used to describe a group of free and open-source software licenses that are all derived from or related to the GNU General Public License (GPL). These licenses share a common philosophy of ensuring that users have the freedom to run, study, share, and modify the software. The core principle behind these licenses is copyleft, which means that any derivative works of software released under a GPL-style license must also be released under the same or a compatible license.

The most prominent member of the GPLFamilien is the GNU General Public License itself, with versions like GPLv2 and GPLv3 being widely used. Other licenses within this family include the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL), which is less restrictive than the GPL and allows proprietary software to link to LGPL-licensed libraries, and the GNU Affero General Public License (AGPL), which extends the copyleft provisions to network services.

The GPLFamilien licenses are foundational to the free software movement and have been instrumental in the development and distribution of many prominent software projects, including the Linux kernel and the GNU operating system. Their aim is to prevent software from becoming proprietary, thereby ensuring continued freedom for users and developers. Choosing a specific license within the GPLFamilien depends on the intended use and distribution model of the software.