computer science

Python Software Foundation License

Python Software Foundation License is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Python Software Foundation License rather than just read about it. In short: The Python Software Foundation License (PSFL) is a BSD-style, permissive software license which is compatible with the GNU General Public License (GPL). Its primary use is for distribution of the Python project software and its documentation.

Key takeaways

Python Software Foundation License belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Python Software Foundation License to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Python Software Foundation License from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Python Software Foundation License (PSFL) is a BSD-style, permissive software license which is compatible with the GNU General Public License (GPL). Its primary use is for distribution of the Python project software and its documentation. Since the license is permissive, it allows proprietization of the derivations. The PSFL is listed as approved on both FSF's approved licenses list, and OSI's approved licenses list. This license is also known as "Python License 2.0.1". In 2000, Python (specifically version 2.1) was briefly available under the Python License, which is incompatible with the GPL. The reason given for this incompatibility by Free Software Foundation was that "this Python license is governed by the laws of the 'State of Virginia', in the USA", which the GPL does not permit. Guido van Rossum, Python's creator, was awarded the 2001 Free Software Foundation Award for the Advancement of Free Software for changing the license to fix this incompatibility.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Python Software Foundation License

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Python Software Foundation License claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Python Software Foundation License before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Python Software Foundation License ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Python Software Foundation License

In research: Python Software Foundation License appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Python Software Foundation License in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Python Software Foundation License is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Free software licenses, Permissive software licenses, Python (programming language), so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Python Software Foundation License outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Python Software Foundation License in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Python Software Foundation License means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Python Software Foundation License out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Python Software Foundation License in simple terms?

Why does Python Software Foundation License matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Python Software Foundation License?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Python Software Foundation License.