Beerware

Author	John Bristor
Copyleft	No

Beerware is a somewhat tongue-in-cheek term for software released under a very relaxed license. It provides the end user with the right to use a particular program (or do anything else with the source code).

Contents 1 Description 2 History 3 License 4 Notes 5 See also

[edit] Description

Should the user of the product meet the author and consider the software useful, he is encouraged to buy the author a beer 'in return' (or, in some variations, drink a beer in the author's honor).

[edit] History

The term was invented by John Bristor in Pensacola, Florida on April 25, 1987,^{[citation needed]} and the first software distributed using the Beerware licensing model was uploaded to a number of BBSs in 1987 and 1988.^{[citation needed]} Many variations on the beerware model have been created since that time.

[edit] License

Poul-Henning Kamp's beerware license is simple and short, in contrast to the GPL which he has described as a "joke". The full text of Kamp's license is: ^[1]

 /*  * ----------------------------------------------------------------------------  * "THE BEER-WARE LICENSE" (Revision 42):  * <phk@FreeBSD.ORG> wrote this file. As long as you retain this notice you  * can do whatever you want with this stuff. If we meet some day, and you think  * this stuff is worth it, you can buy me a beer in return Poul-Henning Kamp  * ----------------------------------------------------------------------------  */ 

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Kamp, Poul-Henning (2004-10-24). "Poul-Henning Kamp". http://people.freebsd.org/~phk/. Retrieved 2006-04-24. 

[edit] See also

• Otherware
• WTFPL

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