1 A. HISTORY OF THE SOFTWARE
2 ==========================
4 Python was created in the early 1990s by Guido van Rossum at Stichting
5 Mathematisch Centrum (CWI, see http://www.cwi.nl) in the Netherlands
6 as a successor of a language called ABC. Guido remains Python's
7 principal author, although it includes many contributions from others.
9 In 1995, Guido continued his work on Python at the Corporation for
10 National Research Initiatives (CNRI, see http://www.cnri.reston.va.us)
11 in Reston, Virginia where he released several versions of the
14 In May 2000, Guido and the Python core development team moved to
15 BeOpen.com to form the BeOpen PythonLabs team. In October of the same
16 year, the PythonLabs team moved to Digital Creations (now Zope
17 Corporation, see http://www.zope.com). In 2001, the Python Software
18 Foundation (PSF, see http://www.python.org/psf/) was formed, a
19 non-profit organization created specifically to own Python-related
20 Intellectual Property. Zope Corporation is a sponsoring member of
23 All Python releases are Open Source (see http://www.opensource.org for
24 the Open Source Definition). Historically, most, but not all, Python
25 releases have also been GPL-compatible; the table below summarizes
28 Release Derived Year Owner GPL-
31 0.9.0 thru 1.2 1991-1995 CWI yes
32 1.3 thru 1.5.2 1.2 1995-1999 CNRI yes
33 1.6 1.5.2 2000 CNRI no
34 2.0 1.6 2000 BeOpen.com no
35 1.6.1 1.6 2001 CNRI yes (2)
36 2.1 2.0+1.6.1 2001 PSF no
37 2.0.1 2.0+1.6.1 2001 PSF yes
38 2.1.1 2.1+2.0.1 2001 PSF yes
39 2.2 2.1.1 2001 PSF yes
40 2.1.2 2.1.1 2002 PSF yes
41 2.1.3 2.1.2 2002 PSF yes
42 2.2.1 2.2 2002 PSF yes
43 2.2.2 2.2.1 2002 PSF yes
44 2.2.3 2.2.2 2003 PSF yes
45 2.3 2.2.2 2002-2003 PSF yes
46 2.3.1 2.3 2002-2003 PSF yes
47 2.3.2 2.3.1 2002-2003 PSF yes
48 2.3.3 2.3.2 2002-2003 PSF yes
49 2.3.4 2.3.3 2004 PSF yes
50 2.3.5 2.3.4 2005 PSF yes
52 2.4.1 2.4 2005 PSF yes
53 2.4.2 2.4.1 2005 PSF yes
54 2.4.3 2.4.2 2006 PSF yes
55 2.4.4 2.4.3 2006 PSF yes
57 2.5.1 2.5 2007 PSF yes
58 2.5.2 2.5.1 2008 PSF yes
59 2.5.3 2.5.2 2008 PSF yes
61 2.6.1 2.6 2008 PSF yes
62 2.6.2 2.6.1 2009 PSF yes
63 2.6.3 2.6.2 2009 PSF yes
64 2.6.4 2.6.3 2009 PSF yes
65 2.6.5 2.6.4 2010 PSF yes
67 3.0.1 3.0 2009 PSF yes
68 3.1 3.0.1 2009 PSF yes
69 3.1.1 3.1 2009 PSF yes
70 3.1.2 3.1 2010 PSF yes
75 (1) GPL-compatible doesn't mean that we're distributing Python under
76 the GPL. All Python licenses, unlike the GPL, let you distribute
77 a modified version without making your changes open source. The
78 GPL-compatible licenses make it possible to combine Python with
79 other software that is released under the GPL; the others don't.
81 (2) According to Richard Stallman, 1.6.1 is not GPL-compatible,
82 because its license has a choice of law clause. According to
83 CNRI, however, Stallman's lawyer has told CNRI's lawyer that 1.6.1
84 is "not incompatible" with the GPL.
86 Thanks to the many outside volunteers who have worked under Guido's
87 direction to make these releases possible.
90 B. TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR ACCESSING OR OTHERWISE USING PYTHON
91 ===============================================================
93 PYTHON SOFTWARE FOUNDATION LICENSE VERSION 2
94 --------------------------------------------
96 1. This LICENSE AGREEMENT is between the Python Software Foundation
97 ("PSF"), and the Individual or Organization ("Licensee") accessing and
98 otherwise using this software ("Python") in source or binary form and
99 its associated documentation.
101 2. Subject to the terms and conditions of this License Agreement, PSF hereby
102 grants Licensee a nonexclusive, royalty-free, world-wide license to reproduce,
103 analyze, test, perform and/or display publicly, prepare derivative works,
104 distribute, and otherwise use Python alone or in any derivative version,
105 provided, however, that PSF's License Agreement and PSF's notice of copyright,
106 i.e., "Copyright (c) 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010,
107 2011 Python Software Foundation; All Rights Reserved" are retained in Python
108 alone or in any derivative version prepared by Licensee.
110 3. In the event Licensee prepares a derivative work that is based on
111 or incorporates Python or any part thereof, and wants to make
112 the derivative work available to others as provided herein, then
113 Licensee hereby agrees to include in any such work a brief summary of
114 the changes made to Python.
116 4. PSF is making Python available to Licensee on an "AS IS"
117 basis. PSF MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR
118 IMPLIED. BY WAY OF EXAMPLE, BUT NOT LIMITATION, PSF MAKES NO AND
119 DISCLAIMS ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS
120 FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR THAT THE USE OF PYTHON WILL NOT
121 INFRINGE ANY THIRD PARTY RIGHTS.
123 5. PSF SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO LICENSEE OR ANY OTHER USERS OF PYTHON
124 FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR LOSS AS
125 A RESULT OF MODIFYING, DISTRIBUTING, OR OTHERWISE USING PYTHON,
126 OR ANY DERIVATIVE THEREOF, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY THEREOF.
128 6. This License Agreement will automatically terminate upon a material
129 breach of its terms and conditions.
131 7. Nothing in this License Agreement shall be deemed to create any
132 relationship of agency, partnership, or joint venture between PSF and
133 Licensee. This License Agreement does not grant permission to use PSF
134 trademarks or trade name in a trademark sense to endorse or promote
135 products or services of Licensee, or any third party.
137 8. By copying, installing or otherwise using Python, Licensee
138 agrees to be bound by the terms and conditions of this License
142 BEOPEN.COM LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR PYTHON 2.0
143 -------------------------------------------
145 BEOPEN PYTHON OPEN SOURCE LICENSE AGREEMENT VERSION 1
147 1. This LICENSE AGREEMENT is between BeOpen.com ("BeOpen"), having an
148 office at 160 Saratoga Avenue, Santa Clara, CA 95051, and the
149 Individual or Organization ("Licensee") accessing and otherwise using
150 this software in source or binary form and its associated
151 documentation ("the Software").
153 2. Subject to the terms and conditions of this BeOpen Python License
154 Agreement, BeOpen hereby grants Licensee a non-exclusive,
155 royalty-free, world-wide license to reproduce, analyze, test, perform
156 and/or display publicly, prepare derivative works, distribute, and
157 otherwise use the Software alone or in any derivative version,
158 provided, however, that the BeOpen Python License is retained in the
159 Software, alone or in any derivative version prepared by Licensee.
161 3. BeOpen is making the Software available to Licensee on an "AS IS"
162 basis. BEOPEN MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR
163 IMPLIED. BY WAY OF EXAMPLE, BUT NOT LIMITATION, BEOPEN MAKES NO AND
164 DISCLAIMS ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS
165 FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR THAT THE USE OF THE SOFTWARE WILL NOT
166 INFRINGE ANY THIRD PARTY RIGHTS.
168 4. BEOPEN SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO LICENSEE OR ANY OTHER USERS OF THE
169 SOFTWARE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR LOSS
170 AS A RESULT OF USING, MODIFYING OR DISTRIBUTING THE SOFTWARE, OR ANY
171 DERIVATIVE THEREOF, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY THEREOF.
173 5. This License Agreement will automatically terminate upon a material
174 breach of its terms and conditions.
176 6. This License Agreement shall be governed by and interpreted in all
177 respects by the law of the State of California, excluding conflict of
178 law provisions. Nothing in this License Agreement shall be deemed to
179 create any relationship of agency, partnership, or joint venture
180 between BeOpen and Licensee. This License Agreement does not grant
181 permission to use BeOpen trademarks or trade names in a trademark
182 sense to endorse or promote products or services of Licensee, or any
183 third party. As an exception, the "BeOpen Python" logos available at
184 http://www.pythonlabs.com/logos.html may be used according to the
185 permissions granted on that web page.
187 7. By copying, installing or otherwise using the software, Licensee
188 agrees to be bound by the terms and conditions of this License
192 CNRI LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR PYTHON 1.6.1
193 ---------------------------------------
195 1. This LICENSE AGREEMENT is between the Corporation for National
196 Research Initiatives, having an office at 1895 Preston White Drive,
197 Reston, VA 20191 ("CNRI"), and the Individual or Organization
198 ("Licensee") accessing and otherwise using Python 1.6.1 software in
199 source or binary form and its associated documentation.
201 2. Subject to the terms and conditions of this License Agreement, CNRI
202 hereby grants Licensee a nonexclusive, royalty-free, world-wide
203 license to reproduce, analyze, test, perform and/or display publicly,
204 prepare derivative works, distribute, and otherwise use Python 1.6.1
205 alone or in any derivative version, provided, however, that CNRI's
206 License Agreement and CNRI's notice of copyright, i.e., "Copyright (c)
207 1995-2001 Corporation for National Research Initiatives; All Rights
208 Reserved" are retained in Python 1.6.1 alone or in any derivative
209 version prepared by Licensee. Alternately, in lieu of CNRI's License
210 Agreement, Licensee may substitute the following text (omitting the
211 quotes): "Python 1.6.1 is made available subject to the terms and
212 conditions in CNRI's License Agreement. This Agreement together with
213 Python 1.6.1 may be located on the Internet using the following
214 unique, persistent identifier (known as a handle): 1895.22/1013. This
215 Agreement may also be obtained from a proxy server on the Internet
216 using the following URL: http://hdl.handle.net/1895.22/1013".
218 3. In the event Licensee prepares a derivative work that is based on
219 or incorporates Python 1.6.1 or any part thereof, and wants to make
220 the derivative work available to others as provided herein, then
221 Licensee hereby agrees to include in any such work a brief summary of
222 the changes made to Python 1.6.1.
224 4. CNRI is making Python 1.6.1 available to Licensee on an "AS IS"
225 basis. CNRI MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR
226 IMPLIED. BY WAY OF EXAMPLE, BUT NOT LIMITATION, CNRI MAKES NO AND
227 DISCLAIMS ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS
228 FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR THAT THE USE OF PYTHON 1.6.1 WILL NOT
229 INFRINGE ANY THIRD PARTY RIGHTS.
231 5. CNRI SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO LICENSEE OR ANY OTHER USERS OF PYTHON
232 1.6.1 FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR LOSS AS
233 A RESULT OF MODIFYING, DISTRIBUTING, OR OTHERWISE USING PYTHON 1.6.1,
234 OR ANY DERIVATIVE THEREOF, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY THEREOF.
236 6. This License Agreement will automatically terminate upon a material
237 breach of its terms and conditions.
239 7. This License Agreement shall be governed by the federal
240 intellectual property law of the United States, including without
241 limitation the federal copyright law, and, to the extent such
242 U.S. federal law does not apply, by the law of the Commonwealth of
243 Virginia, excluding Virginia's conflict of law provisions.
244 Notwithstanding the foregoing, with regard to derivative works based
245 on Python 1.6.1 that incorporate non-separable material that was
246 previously distributed under the GNU General Public License (GPL), the
247 law of the Commonwealth of Virginia shall govern this License
248 Agreement only as to issues arising under or with respect to
249 Paragraphs 4, 5, and 7 of this License Agreement. Nothing in this
250 License Agreement shall be deemed to create any relationship of
251 agency, partnership, or joint venture between CNRI and Licensee. This
252 License Agreement does not grant permission to use CNRI trademarks or
253 trade name in a trademark sense to endorse or promote products or
254 services of Licensee, or any third party.
256 8. By clicking on the "ACCEPT" button where indicated, or by copying,
257 installing or otherwise using Python 1.6.1, Licensee agrees to be
258 bound by the terms and conditions of this License Agreement.
263 CWI LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR PYTHON 0.9.0 THROUGH 1.2
264 --------------------------------------------------
266 Copyright (c) 1991 - 1995, Stichting Mathematisch Centrum Amsterdam,
267 The Netherlands. All rights reserved.
269 Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its
270 documentation for any purpose and without fee is hereby granted,
271 provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that
272 both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in
273 supporting documentation, and that the name of Stichting Mathematisch
274 Centrum or CWI not be used in advertising or publicity pertaining to
275 distribution of the software without specific, written prior
278 STICHTING MATHEMATISCH CENTRUM DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES WITH REGARD TO
279 THIS SOFTWARE, INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND
280 FITNESS, IN NO EVENT SHALL STICHTING MATHEMATISCH CENTRUM BE LIABLE
281 FOR ANY SPECIAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES
282 WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN
283 ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT
284 OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.