What is gnu general public license?

The GNU General Public License (GPL) is a widely used free software license that guarantees end users the freedom to run, study, share, and modify the software. It is a copyleft license, which means that derivative works must also be licensed under the GPL or a compatible license.

Key aspects of the GPL include:

• Freedom to Run: Users have the right to use the software for any purpose.
• Freedom to Study: Users have the right to access the source code of the software.
• Freedom to Distribute: Users have the right to distribute copies of the software.
• Freedom to Modify: Users have the right to modify the software and distribute their modified versions.
• Copyleft: This is the central principle. When you distribute modifications or works based on GPL-licensed code, you must license the derived work under the GPL (or a compatible license). This ensures that the freedoms granted by the GPL are preserved in subsequent versions.

The GPL aims to ensure that software remains free and accessible to everyone, preventing it from becoming proprietary through derivative works. There are different versions of the GPL (e.g., GPLv2, GPLv3), each with slight variations in their terms. GPLv3 is generally considered to be more robust in addressing patent issues and DRM (Digital Rights Management) than GPLv2.