Software Licences

When you pay or download for software you don’t own it, you are simply given the right to use it for specific purposes.

All software comes with a licence. A licence is a document which describes what you are allowed to do with it.

The two licences are: Proprietary and Open Source.

A proprietary licence is used for software you pay for. Proprietary licences prevent users from copying and freely distributing the software. It may limit how many people who can use it, or how long it may be used for.

There are benefits of a proprietary licence, these can be divided between the interests of the business which sells the software and the customers of the software.

Software can be released under an Open Source licence. The Open Source licence is used to give it’s users more freedom including the ability to freely distribute, modify, and view the source code that makes up the software.

Open Source is Free as in Freedom – not always as in Free (money).

Why choose to the Open Source licence?

• Some people don’t develop software to make money. 
• Open source licences open up software to open collaboration.
• Some software may be beneficial to more people when freely available

Example: OpenSSL

OpenSSL is an open source package installed on billions of devices and manages secure communication over networks.

It is managed by two people with limited funding.

It is a vital part of software and secure connections on the internet could not occur without it.

Benefits of an Open Source licence

There are benefits of using an Open Source licence, these can be divided between the interests of the business which sells the software and the customers of the software.