Sun Industry Standards Source License
Encyclopedia : S : SU : SUN : Sun Industry Standards Source License
The Sun Industry Standards Source License (SISSL) is a now-retired free and open source license, recognized as such by the Free Software Foundation and the Open Source Initiative. Under SISSL, developers could modify and distribute source code and derived binaries freely. Furthermore, developers could choose to keep their modifications private or make them public.
Several open source projects funded by Sun Microsystems were licensed under SISSL, including OpenOffice.org, and Sun GridEngine. Later versions of Openoffice.org were dual-licensed under the SISSL and LGPL until the retirement of the SISSL, at which time Openoffice.org was relicensed only under the LGPL. Sun GridEngine appears to still be covered by the SISSL.
Sun announced the retirement of the license on September 2, 2005. The director of Sun's Open Source Office said he will ask the OSI to put the SISSL on the "not recommended" list. OpenOffice.org 2.0 code, for example, is now licensed exclusively under the LGPL. Sun has developed the Common Development and Distribution License, a variant of the Mozilla Public License and has since released OpenSolaris and the Glassfish Java server under that license.
Reason the license was written: Sun Microsystems wrote this license. The overall goal is for the software to be widely used. The license states that the developer can modify and distribute source code and any created binaries freely. The developers could choose to keep their modifications private or make them public. The license grants the holder a world-wide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license subject to third party intellectual property claims. As a holder modifies any section of the code, they need to state a few lines at the bottom of the code to let any client know that this was a product of an open source code. Also, the holder must include a copy of the license with every copy of the Source Code they distribute. A new license cannot be created such that it imposes or violates any terms of the first license. The license is also to be duplicated in each file of the source code, or a link to where it can be found.
Compatibility with GPL: SISSL is not compatible with GPL. SISSL is actually compatible with LGPL (Lesser General Public License). Derivative Works: The SISSL requires the license to be duplicated in each source code file. If the license is too big, then each source code must have a link to where the license can be found. A new license can be created by the user, but the SISSL must be listed and the new license shouldn’t violate any terms that are forth mentioned in SISSL.
Covered Works: SISSL takes a similar approach to that of GPL. The holder of the license doesn’t necessarily have to release their own source code that they developed. They can release the binaries form instead of the source code, but their license must mention that the program covered by SISSL is used.
Charging money for the programs under the license: SISSL follows a similar approach in that the holder has the right to charge a fee “for warranty, support, indemnity or liability obligations to one or more recipients of Your [holder’s] version of the Code.” ([link]) The holder can’t sell a warranty on behalf of the initial developer. By doing charging a fee, the holder and the initial developer have agreed to make the initial developer liable free of any services promised. It doesn’t mean that the source code has to be revealed to the client.
Including a copy of the license: The covered works must include a verbatim copy of the license in their source code. If holder is giving out just the binaries, SISSL has to be written verbatim on the license. The holder also has the option to create their own license, but it must include EVERY aspect of SISSL on the license, and it shouldn’t violate any of the original terms. This is relatively a hard task to achieve since, the license is always open for interpretation and can be viewed in more than one way. If the holder believes that all the aspects have been covered, someone else then can take a look and find a small hole that violated the original terms.
Adding to the license: This is partly true for SISSL. SISSL allows you to add further restrictions and requirements. The example stated above also holds true for SISSL. The holder can had further restrictions such that they the client cannot modify certain portions of the code. There can be some requirements added where the current program is a dependency on another program, so you need the other program to run the current program.
Distribution under the license: SISSL explicitly states that the holder is granted “world-wide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license.” ([link])
Later Versions: SISSL states that Sun can publish revised and/or new versions of the License from time to time. Of course, each new version will have a unique version number to distinguish itself from the previous versions. Once a newer version is available, the holder has the option to either choose the new version or keep with the original code. Given that Sun has retired it, this is unlikely.
Other Relevant Aspects: One major difference with SISSL and GPL is that SUN retired SISSL. Programs that were once using SISSL are now using LGPL. Sun then after created a variant of the Mozilla Public License and called it Common Development and Distribution License. It has released OpenSolaris and Glassfish Java server under it.
External links
Wikinews Sources
- Stephen Shankland "[Sun retires one open-source license]". [[w:CNET|CNET]], September 2, 2005
- "[Statement on License Simplification (PDF)]". [[w:OpenOffice.org|OpenOffice.org]], September 2, 2005
- "[License Simplification FAQ]". [[w:OpenOffice.org|OpenOffice.org]], September 2, 2005
- Simon Phipps "[Addressing Proliferation]". [[w:Sun Microsystems|Sun Microsystems]], September 2, 2005
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.