The FSL License: Fun Software License

In a previous post, in a spirit of fun, I created a new open-source license, The LDS License: License Dave Shields.

I’m proud of it, but I fully understand that others would be reluctant to adopt this license since it bears my name, and so suggest they consider licensing their code under the Fun Software License, FSL:

Fun Software License (FSL)

Copyright (c) [date] [copyright owner(s)]

I/We wrote this software .
You can do with it what you wish.
All I/we ask is that you try to have fun with it and give credit where credit is due.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS IS”, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

Note that the “F” in “FSL” stands for “fun” and not “free” since fun is really what open-source is all about:

The LDS License: License Dave Shields

I’m putting together a post on SPITBOL that includes some code that I wrote. Since it is always best to provide a license for code so those interested in it know the terms and conditions under which it can be used. I wanted a license that was short and sweet.

My initials are LDS since my full name is Lynwood David Shields, so I decided to base the name on my initials.

Hence License Dave Shields, the LDS license. Here it is:

License Dave Shields For Software:

Copyright (c) 2007 Dave Shields

I wrote this software .
You can do with it what you wish.
All I ask is that you try to have fun with it and give credit where credit is due.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS IS”, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

The concluding part in capital letters is standard language that I borrowed from the MIT License. If that language was good enough for MIT then it is good enough for me — even though I went to Caltech.

Though the software license is not OSI-approved, having been created only a few minutes ago, I believe it captures the essence of all the licenses that are so approved.

If you wish to use any of my writing posted to my blog, https://daveshields.wordpress.com, that is not software, then you can use that writing under the following license:

License Dave Shields:

Copyright (c) 2006-2007 Dave Shields

I wrote this.
You can do with it what you wish.
All I ask is that you try to have fun with it and give credit where credit is due.

I will modify the “LICENSE” Page of this blog to replace my previous option of using either the Apache License or the TWIT License, another license of my devising that was based on BSD, claimed copyright and asked that copyright notices be preserved.

I still have the copyright but no longer ask that copyright notices be preserved, though you can preserve them if you wish. It’s your call.

Have fun.

Letters from Cathy Min Chay

[The original text of this post can now be found at Letters from Cathy Min Chay.

Please make any links to that post, and not this one.]