WTFPL:自由随便的软件许可(Software License)

世界太复杂,人心太复杂。心情好写点代码或是开发个软件还得操心软件许可的问题。

于是有了这个 WTFPL - DO WHAT THE FUCK YOU WANT TO PUBLIC LICENSE

WTFPL License 内容

参见 http://www.wtfpl.net/about/

     DO WHAT THE FUCK YOU WANT TO PUBLIC LICENSE 
                    Version 2, December 2004 

 Copyright (C) 2004 Sam Hocevar <[email protected]> 

 Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim or modified 
 copies of this license document, and changing it is allowed as long 
 as the name is changed. 

            DO WHAT THE FUCK YOU WANT TO PUBLIC LICENSE 
   TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION 

  0. You just DO WHAT THE FUCK YOU WANT TO.

简单说,就是”随便你拿来干什么“

增加免责条款 (No Warranty)

所谓免责条款,比如说人们因为使用你开发的软件,导致数据丢失或损坏,你作为软件的开发者是否要承担责任。

WTFPL 自身不包含免责条款 (No Warranty),WTFPL 的 FAQ 里解释说因为 WTFPL 的使用对象还包括艺术创作这类作品 —— 这里的潜台词应该是说艺术品之类的是不会产生什么危险或损失的。

当然,一个潜在的问题是,艺术品之类的东西真的不会造成危险或损失吗?:-p

但因为 WTFPL 允许修改 license 本身,你当然可以自己加上免责条款部分。

FAQ里的示例如下(用于代码头部,当然也可以去掉注释修改一下写到协议文件里面):

/* This program is free software. It comes without any warranty, to
     * the extent permitted by applicable law. You can redistribute it
     * and/or modify it under the terms of the Do What The Fuck You Want
     * To Public License, Version 2, as published by Sam Hocevar. See
     * http://www.wtfpl.net/ for more details. */

用词不当的问题

WTFPL 的 FAQ 里关于“用词不当”的回答是这样的。

But profanity is offensive!

You know what? Fuck your stance on profanity. Fuck your priorities in life. The WTFPL is about fucking freedom and we mean it. Freedom means freedom to copy and modify and share works of art and science with the rest of mankind, but also freedom to be gay and marry and have crazy gay sex, freedom to have tattoos, freedom to say there is no God, freedom to take the pill, freedom to have an abortion. People die for being gay or atheists. Don’t tell me that there is something sacred enough that it must be protected from the mere existence of the word “fuck”. If the F in WTFPL offends you, then fuck you and your beliefs. Triple fuck you.

怎么使用 WTFPL

  1. 把上面提到的 WTFPL License 内容 保存到文件 COPYING.WTFPL
  2. 在源代码头部加入下面的文字
Copyright © 2000 Your Name <your@address>

This work is free. You can redistribute it and/or modify it under the
terms of the Do What The Fuck You Want To Public License, Version 2,
as published by Sam Hocevar.

See the COPYING.WTFPL file for more details.