From 7951e8f58a8ace3f38cae86cb32c4cc0f64bd83b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Robert Jordens Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2017 21:07:31 -0400 Subject: [PATCH] README.rst: add licensing manifesto closes #825 --- README.rst | 17 +++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 17 insertions(+) diff --git a/README.rst b/README.rst index 50cdc6ec7..3b380833a 100644 --- a/README.rst +++ b/README.rst @@ -45,3 +45,20 @@ GNU Lesser General Public License for more details. You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License along with ARTIQ. If not, see . + +The ARTIQ manifesto +=================== + +The free and open dissemination of methods and results is central to scientific progress. +The ARTIQ authors, contributors, and supporters consider the free and open exchange of scientific tools to be equally important and have chosen the licensing terms of ARTIQ accordingly. +ARTIQ, including its gateware, the firmware, and the ARTIQ tools and libraries are licensed as LGPLv3+. +This ensures that a user of ARTIQ obtains broad rights to use, redistribute, and modify it. +The following statements are intended to clarify the interpretation and application of the licensing terms: + +* There is no requirement to distribute any unmodified, modified, or extended versions of ARTIQ. Only when distributing ARTIQ the source needs to be made available. +* Unmodified, modified, or extended versions of ARTIQ can be distributed freely under the terms of the LGPLv3+. +* Your ``Experiments``, ``Applets``, and ARTIQ device drivers are considered "Applications" (see the LGPLv3+) and can be (but don't have to be) distributed under the terms of your choice. The public distribution under a free and open license is encouraged, however. +* Similarly, distribution and licensing of your experiment data, calibrations, or measurement results is entirely at your discretion. +* Other features, changes, and additions are considered modifications of ARTIQ and inherit the LGPLv3+. Those include for example adding new RTIO ``Phys``, compiler optimizations, compiler features, ports of the compiler to other target CPUs, dashboard or browser features that are not in applets, as well as scheduler, master and runtime modifications. +* Analogously to the established practice in the Linux kernel, we do not consider components that are developed and used independently to be modifications of ARTIQ. +* For example, when developing a ``Phy`` for an independently developed and used gateware component, that gateware component is not considered a modification of ARTIQ (but the ``Phy`` is).