GPL
Technology & Computing abbreviation · Software
| Stands for | GNU General Public License |
|---|---|
| Categories | Technology & Computing |
GPL stands for GNU General Public License, a software abbreviation.
Copyleft open-source license that lets anyone use, study, modify and share software, provided that distributed modified versions are released under the same license with their source code. Linux, Git and WordPress are GPL projects.
Example: Because the library is GPL, shipping it inside our app would oblige us to release our source code.
Usage notes
Richard Stallman wrote the first version in 1989 for the GNU Project; GPLv2 (1991) and GPLv3 (2007) followed. The Linux kernel is licensed "GPLv2 only", which is why it never moved to version 3. Using GPL software internally without distributing it triggers no duty to share code. Critics call the license "viral" because its terms extend to combined works.
Related abbreviations
More software abbreviations
- GA – General availability
- GIMP – GNU Image Manipulation Program
- GM – Golden master
- GMS – Google Mobile Services
- GNOME – GNU Network Object Model Environment
- GNU – GNU's Not Unix
- GRUB – GRand Unified Bootloader
- i18n – Internationalization
- IAP – In-app purchase
- ISV – Independent software vendor
- KDE – K Desktop Environment
- KMS – Key Management Service