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BSD License

BSD License

The SilverStripe software is licensed under the open source (revised) BSD license, one of the most flexible and liberal licenses available. While there are hundreds of other content management systems available under the more restrictive GPL license, SilverStripe is (to our knowledge) the only advanced CMS available under the BSD license. Third-party open source libraries we include in our download are released under their own licenses.

Why did we do it?

We've chosen the BSD license because it's the best possible license for our customers. For example, some of our larger customers are developing unique and novel solutions on top of SilverStripe and are integrating SilverStripe deep into their product offerings. Under a more restrictive license (such as the GPL), they'd be obligated to publish all their custom code if they want to distribute their product. But this would mean giving away their competitive advantage, which they may not want to do.

What do we get out of it?

It's easy to understand why the BSD license is a great choice for our customers, but how is the BSD license good for our business? After all, we are basically giving away a huge chunk of our Intellectual Property (IP). A software company's IP is usually held onto very tightly because traditionally, software companies believe that their IP is something to be protected and sold. We believe something different.

Simply put, it comes down to this: We're not in the business of developing software; we're in the business of helping our customers. The way we do this is by figuring out what our customers need and delivering well. What we deliver is usually a combination of business analysis, technology development, and tight working relationships with the customers.

We believe a more sustainable business model is one where we are challenged to constantly learn, innovate, and communicate with others.

We believe that having loads of happy customers is better for our business than relying on a restrictive licensing model.

We believe in the power of an open developer community. The best way to encourage and create better software is to have people contribute back to the main code base and share their work with others. The open source model has proven this with such examples as the Linux operating system, the PostgreSQL database, and the Apache web server.

We believe the rules of the game are changing. Software is not a precious commodity that needs to be carefully (and expensively) doled out.

We believe in giving back to the community that has helped us get to where we are today. Our software is free. Come join the party.

- The SilverStripe Team

The License

Copyright (c) 2006 SilverStripe Limited - www.silverstripe.com
All rights reserved.

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT OWNER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.