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license-update: update website with new license info (#1762)
RFC: https://wiki.php.net/rfc/php_license_update
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‎license/3_01.txt‎

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============= An example PHP License, version 3.01 file ============
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This is the original PHP License, version 3.01, which applies only to
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old versions of PHP software (such as versions 8.5 and earlier).
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The PHP License, version 3.01, is an Open Source Initiative approved
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license, available at <https://opensource.org/license/php-3-01>. This
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license is provided for historical purposes only.
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This license has been superseded by the PHP License, version 4,
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available at <https://www.php.net/license/>. The PHP License, version 4
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is the Modified BSD License (BSD-3-Clause). All new works using the PHP
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License should use the Modified BSD License.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------
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The PHP License, version 3.01
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Copyright (c) 1999 - 2019 The PHP Group. All rights reserved.
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Copyright (c) 1999 - 2026 The PHP Group. All rights reserved.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------
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Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without

‎license/4_0.txt‎

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Copyright © The PHP Group and Contributors.
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Copyright © Zend Technologies Ltd., a subsidiary company of Perforce Software, Inc.
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Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
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modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:
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1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this
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list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
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2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice,
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this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation
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and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
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3. Neither the name of the copyright holder nor the names of its
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contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from
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this software without specific prior written permission.
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THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS"
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AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
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IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE
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DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE
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FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
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DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR
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SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER
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CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY,
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OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE
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OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

‎license/contrib-guidelines-code.php‎

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<?php
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$_SERVER['BASE_PAGE'] = 'license/contrib-guidelines-code.php';
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include_once __DIR__ . '/../include/prepend.inc';
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site_header("License Information", ["current" => "help"]);
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site_header("Contributor Guidelines", ["current" => "help"]);
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?>
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<h2>PHP Contributor Guidelines for Code Developers</h2>
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<p>
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Before you complete the form to request a Git account, you must understand and accept the principles under which PHP
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Before you contribute code to PHP, you must understand and accept the principles under which PHP
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itself is developed. These are summarised in the next paragraph.
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</p>
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<p>
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Any code contributed to PHP must be contributed under the PHP license (or a compatible BSD-style license).
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PHP will be redistributed under the PHP license (currently
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<a href="http://www.php.net/license/3_01.txt">version 3.01</a>).
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Any code contributed to PHP must be contributed under the Modified BSD License or other, compatible permissive license.
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PHP is distributed under the <a href="/license/#bsd-3-clause">Modified BSD License</a>.
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This includes implementation code, test cases, utility scripts and tools - that is, all code associated
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with the PHP project. If you contribute code that isn't entirely your own
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(for example it may be partially derived from other Open Source software) you are asked to add a comment
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into the source code to indicate the origin and the license of the original code.
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If you are unsure of the license you are asked to confirm with the owner of the code that they are
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happy for it to be contributed to PHP under the PHP license.
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If you are unsure of the license, you are asked to confirm with the owner of the code that they
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grant permission for it to be contributed to PHP under the
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terms of the Modified BSD License or other compatible license.
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</p>
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<p>
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Specifically regarding GPL and LGPL source code:
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Specifically regarding source code licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL):
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</p>
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<ul>
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<li>GPL or LGPL licensed code cannot be used as a basis for any derived work contributed to PHP.</li>
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<li>Extensions which link GPL'd libraries will not be accepted.</li>
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<li>Extensions which link to LGPL libraries will be strongly discouraged.</li>
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<li>GPL-licensed code cannot be used as a basis for any work contributed to PHP.</li>
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<li>Extensions linking to GPL-licensed libraries will not be accepted.</li>
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</ul>
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‎license/distrib-guidelines-code.php‎

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<?php
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$_SERVER['BASE_PAGE'] = 'license/distrib-guidelines-code.php';
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include_once __DIR__ . '/../include/prepend.inc';
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site_header("License Information", ["current" => "help"]);
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site_header("Distribution Guidelines", ["current" => "help"]);
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?>
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<h2>PHP Distribution Guidelines</h2>
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<p>
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The PHP code can be redistributed in source or binary form provided that
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the terms of the PHP license are respected (see
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<a href="http://www.php.net/license/3_01.txt">version 3.01</a>).
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You may redistribute PHP in source or binary form, provided
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you respect the terms of the <a href="/license/">license</a>.
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</p>
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<p>
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In plain English, this means that you have to include the full license text
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distribution. This ensures that the license information can be read
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properly even when a binary is shipped.
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A text file containing license and copyright information is sometimes
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given the filename "Notices", and may be referred to as a "Notices file".
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given the filename "Notice" or "NOTICE" and may be referred to as a "notice file".
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</p>
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<p>
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Some files in the PHP codebase have been contributed under other licenses.
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If you want to distribute these files, you also need to respect the terms
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of those licenses.
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To check, look for the terms indicated in the license + copyright comment
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block at the top of the source file.
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Keep in mind, sometimes the license terms are included in a separate license file in the
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same directory as the source file.
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</p>
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<p>
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The license terms for such a file may require that its own license and copyright
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information must be included with every distributed copy (including binaries).
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This is quite a common requirement, which can be satisfied by adding the
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appropriate license text into a text file for distribution purposes, like the
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"Notices"-type of file suggested above.
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notice file suggested above.
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</p>
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<p>
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A single "Notices" file could be used to hold the collection of license
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and copyright information that applies to PHP in general (the PHP license) and
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A single notice file could be used to hold the collection of license
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and copyright information that applies to PHP in general and
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any files with additional licenses that you want to distribute (for example
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Zend, TSRM etc.)
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It is good practice to indicate which source file(s) a particular license
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the PHP codebase are distributed in human-readable form with
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every copy, as described above.
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</li>
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<li>
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you don't use the name "PHP" without permission, either
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to promote your own product or within your product's name
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(see clauses #3 and #4 in the PHP license
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<a href="http://www.php.net/license/3_01.txt">version 3.01</a>).
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</li>
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</ul>
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<?php site_footer();

‎license/index.php‎

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<a id="code-lic"></a>
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<h2>PHP Codebase</h2>
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<ul>
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<p>
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PHP is available for use under the terms of the
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<a href="#bsd-3-clause">Modified BSD License</a>, also known as the PHP
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License, version 4.
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</p>
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<p>
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The Modified BSD License is an <a href="https://opensource.org/osd">Open
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Source license</a>,
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<a href="https://opensource.org/license/bsd-3-clause">approved by the Open
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Source Initiative</a>, and
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<a href="https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/License:BSD-3-Clause">compatible with
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the GNU General Public License (GPL)</a>. It is a
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permissive_software_license">permissive</a>
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software license that does not have the
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyleft">copyleft</a> restrictions
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associated with licenses like the GNU GPL. Its SPDX identifier is
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<a href="https://spdx.org/licenses/BSD-3-Clause.html"><code>BSD-3-Clause</code></a>.
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</p>
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<p>
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Some files in PHP software have been contributed under other compatible
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licenses and may carry additional requirements and copyright information.
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This is indicated in the license/copyright comment block at the top of each
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source file. Sometimes the license terms are included in a separate license
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file in the same directory as the source file.
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</p>
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<a id="bsd-3-clause"></a>
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<h3>License</h3>
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<p>
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Copyright &copy; The PHP Group and Contributors.<br>
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Copyright &copy; Zend Technologies Ltd., a subsidiary company of Perforce
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Software, Inc.
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</p>
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<p>
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Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
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modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:
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</p>
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<ol>
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<li>
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Starting with PHP 4, versions of the PHP software are distributed under the
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<a href="http://www.php.net/license/3_01.txt">PHP License v3.01</a>, copyright (c) the <a href="/credits.php">PHP Group</a>.
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<ul>
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<li>
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This is an <a href="http://www.opensource.org/docs/osd">Open Source license</a>,
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certified by the Open Source Initiative.
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</li>
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<li>
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The PHP license is a BSD-style license which does not have the "copyleft"
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restrictions associated with GPL.
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</li>
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</ul>
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Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice,
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this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
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</li>
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<li>
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Some files have been contributed under other (compatible) licenses and carry
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additional requirements and copyright information.<br>
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This is indicated in the license + copyright comment block at the top of the source file.
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Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice,
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this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation
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and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
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</li>
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<li>
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Practical Guidelines:
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Neither the name of the copyright holder nor the names of its
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contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from
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this software without specific prior written permission.
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</li>
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</ol>
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<p>
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THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS"
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AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
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IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
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ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE
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LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR
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CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF
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SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS
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INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
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CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE)
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ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE
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POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
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</p>
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<h3>Practical Guidelines</h3>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="/license/distrib-guidelines-code.php">Distributing PHP</a></li>
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<li><a href="/license/contrib-guidelines-code.php">Contributing to PHP</a></li>
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</ul>
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</li>
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</ul>
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<h3>Earlier Versions</h3>
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<p>
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Earlier versions of PHP software were distributed under the terms of
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versions <a href="/license/2_01.txt">2.01</a>,
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<a href="/license/2_02.txt">2.02</a>, <a href="/license/3_0.txt">3.0</a>, and
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<a href="/license/3_01.txt">3.01</a> of the PHP License. At your option, you
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may choose to use any earlier version of PHP software under the terms of the
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<a href="/license/4_0.txt">PHP License, version 4</a>. This is in accordance
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with section 5 of the PHP License, versions 3.0 and 3.01, and section 4 of
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the PHP License, versions 2.01 and 2.02 (emphasis added):
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</p>
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<blockquote>
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<p>
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Once covered code has been published under a particular version of the
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license, you may always continue to use it under the terms of that version.
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<b>You may also choose to use such covered code under the terms of any
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subsequent version</b> of the license published by the PHP Group.
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</p>
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</blockquote>
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<a id="doc-lic"></a>
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<h2>PHP Documentation</h2>
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<p>
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<strong>A.</strong>
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We cannot really stop you from using PHP in the name of
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your project unless you include any code from the PHP distribution, in
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which case you would be violating the license.
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See Clause 4 in the <a href="http://www.php.net/license/3_01.txt">
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PHP License v3.01</a>.
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<br>But we would really prefer if people would come up with their own names
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your project,
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but we would prefer you come up with your own name
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independent of the PHP name.
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</p>
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<p>
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"Why?" you ask. You are only trying to contribute to the PHP
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community. That may be true, but by using the PHP name you are
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explicitly linking your efforts to those of the entire PHP development
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"PHP" is the PHP project's unique brand. When others see the name "PHP," they
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associate it with this project. When you use "PHP" as part of your software's
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name, you are linking your efforts to those of the entire PHP development
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community and the years of work that has gone into the PHP project.
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Every time a flaw is found in one of the thousands of applications out
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there that call themselves "PHP-Something" the negative karma that
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generates reflects unfairly on the entire PHP project. We had nothing
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to do with PHP-Nuke, for example, and every bugtraq posting on that
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says "PHP" in it. Your particular project may in fact be the greatest
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thing ever, but we have to be consistent in how we handle these
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requests and we honestly have no way of knowing whether your project
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is actually the greatest thing ever.
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</p>
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<p>
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So, please, pick a name that stands on its own merits. If your
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stuff is good, it will not take long to establish a reputation for
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yourselves. Look at Zope, for example, that is a framework for Python
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that doesn't have Python in the name. Smarty as well doesn't have PHP
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in the name and does quite well.
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Additionally, using "PHP" in your project's name causes a lot of confusion,
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making it more difficult for people to find your project or get help with it.
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Inevitably, people looking for your project will open issues on the PHP
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project's issue tracker, taking up the valuable time of our volunteers.
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</p>
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<p>
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So, please, pick a name that stands on its own merits. If others find your
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project useful, it will not take long to establish a reputation for
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yourself.
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</p>
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<h3>Change in licensing from PHP 8.6 and later</h3>
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<p>
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<strong>Q.</strong> What are the differences between the PHP License, version
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3.01, and the PHP License, version 4?
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</p>
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<p>
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<strong>A.</strong> The PHP License, version 4 removes clauses 4, 5, and 6 of
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the PHP License, version 3.01. This makes it effectively identical to the
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Modified BSD License (<code>BSD-3-Clause</code>).
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</p>
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<p>
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While the Open Source Initiative (OSI) approved versions 3.0 and 3.01 of the
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PHP License through their legacy approval process, the licenses were not
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compatible with the GPL. Additionally, clauses 4 and 6 were challenging or
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impossible to enforce, and various readings and interpretations sometimes
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caused confusion among distributors. As a result, the PHP Group decided to
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invoke clause 5 of the PHP License to publish a new version. The new version
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resolves all problems with the PHP License (perceived or actual) while
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preserving the rights granted by contributors and the rights granted to users.
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</p>
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<p>
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<strong>Q.</strong> Is the source code in the <code>Zend/</code> directory
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still licensed under the separate Zend Engine License?
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</p>
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<p>
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<strong>A.</strong> No. At the same time the PHP Group published a new version
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of the PHP License, Zend Technologies Ltd., a subsidiary of Perforce Software,
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Inc., invoked clause 4 of the Zend Engine License, version 2.00, to publish a
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new version of the Zend Engine License. The Zend Engine License, version 3.0,
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removes clauses 4, 5, and 6 of the Zend Engine License, making it effectively
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identical to the Modified BSD License (<code>BSD-3-Clause</code>).
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</p>
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<p>
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<strong>Q.</strong> Can I still use the PHP License or Zend Engine License for
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my own projects?
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</p>
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<p>
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<strong>A.</strong> You can, but you shouldn't. The PHP License and Zend
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Engine License are deprecated and considered legacy licenses. They are not
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recommended for use in new projects. Instead, consider using a similar
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license, like the Apache License, Modified BSD License, GNU Lesser General
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Public License (LGPL), or MIT License. <em>This is not legal advice; please
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consult with a lawyer before adopting or making any changes to your
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license.</em>
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</p>
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<h3>Change in licensing from PHP 4 onwards</h3>
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<p>
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<strong>A.</strong> GPL enforces many restrictions on what can and cannot
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be done with the licensed code. The PHP developers decided to
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release PHP under a much more loose license (Apache-style), to help
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PHP become as popular as possible.
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release PHP under a much more permissive license (BSD-style) to allow
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broader uses of PHP by more people.
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</p>
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<a id="other-lic"></a>

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