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General public virus Definition from Language, Idioms & Slang Dictionaries & Glossaries
general public virus
a pejorative name for some versions of the gnu project copyleft or general public license (gpl), which requires that any tools or application programs incorporating copylefted code must be source-distributed on the same terms as gnu code. thus it is alleged that the copyleft "infects" software generated with gnu tools, which may in turn infect other software that reuses any of its code.
General public virus Definition from Computer & Internet Dictionaries & Glossaries
n. Pejorative name for some versions of the GNU project copyleft or General Public License (GPL), which requires that any tools or apps incorporating copylefted code must be source-distributed on the same anti-proprietary terms as GNU stuff. Thus it is alleged that the copyleft `infects' software generated with GNU tools, which may in turn infect other software that reuses any of its code. The Free Software Foundation's official position as of January 1991 is that copyright law limits the scope of the GPL to "programs textually incorporating significant amounts of GNU code", and that the `infection' is not passed on to third parties unless actual GNU source is transmitted. Nevertheless, widespread suspicion that the copyleft language is `boobytrapped' has caused many developers to avoid using GNU tools and the GPL. Changes in the language of the version 2.0 GPL did not eliminate this problem.
General public virus Definition from Encyclopedia Dictionaries & Glossaries
The GNU General Public License (GNU GPL or simply GPL) is the most widely used free software license. It was originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project.
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