| SPDX identifier | Watcom-1.0 |
|---|---|
| Debian FSG compatible | No |
| FSFapproved | No[1] |
| OSIapproved | Yes[2] |
| GPL compatible | No |
| Copyleft | Very strong |
TheSybase Open Watcom Public License is asoftware license that has been approved by theOpen Source Initiative.[2] It is thelicence under which theOpen Watcom C/C++compiler is released.
The license has not been accepted as "free" under theDebian Free Software Guidelines, due to the license's termination clauses.[3][4]
TheFree Software Foundation (FSF) has stated that the license is not "free" as it requires thesource to be published when you "deploy" the software for private use only.[1] In contrast, FSF'sGeneral Public License (GPL) does not require that a modified source code has to be made public when the software modification was only used privately without a public release of the software. This makes the Watcom license also GPLincompatible and a strongercopyleft license than the GPL and even theAGPL.
TheFedora project also considers the license as non-free, citing the FSF argumentation.[5]
Version 1.0 appears to have been written in 2002. It's publicly released no later than January 8, 2003, the date of the initial release ofOpen Watcom C/C++.
The draft of version 2.0 of the License was published on 20 January2004. This version incorporated changes fromApple and made the licence less specific to OpenWatcom.[6][7]
This is not a free software license. It requires you to publish the source code publicly whenever you "Deploy" the covered software, and "Deploy" is defined to include many kinds of private use.