• The retirement of the PHP license

    From LWN.net@618:250/24 to All on Tue May 5 06:40:09 2026
    The PHP project has long shipped under its own license - except for
    the parts under the Zend Engine License. The PHP project has now announced that the PHP license has been retired, and the PHP code has been relicensed under the three-clause BSD license. See this
    blog entry for more details.

    Getting here required more than writing an
    RFC. The PHP License gives the PHP Group the authority to
    change it, which meant tracking down each of the original PHP Group
    members and getting their written consent. Each approved the
    proposal. Perforce Software, the successor to Zend Technologies,
    needed to sign off on the Zend Engine side, as well. They provided
    a formal letter confirming their full authority and support for the
    change. I hired an attorney to review the proposal and provide
    advice on any legal questions that might surface during the
    discussion period. Speaking of which, I allowed for a six-month
    community discussion period preceding the vote, which passed
    unanimously.

    https://lwn.net/Articles/1071253/
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  • From LWN.net@618:250/24 to All on Wed May 6 06:40:09 2026
    The PHP project has long shipped under its own license - except for
    the parts under the Zend Engine License. The PHP project has now announced that the PHP license has been retired, and the PHP code has been relicensed under the three-clause BSD license. See this
    blog entry for more details.

    Getting here required more than writing an
    RFC. The PHP License gives the PHP Group the authority to
    change it, which meant tracking down each of the original PHP Group
    members and getting their written consent. Each approved the
    proposal. Perforce Software, the successor to Zend Technologies,
    needed to sign off on the Zend Engine side, as well. They provided
    a formal letter confirming their full authority and support for the
    change. I hired an attorney to review the proposal and provide
    advice on any legal questions that might surface during the
    discussion period. Speaking of which, I allowed for a six-month
    community discussion period preceding the vote, which passed
    unanimously.

    LWN covered the license-change process back in March.

    https://lwn.net/Articles/1071253/
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    * Origin: Palantir * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL * (618:250/24)