Copyfree: Unfetter your ideas.

Copyfree Software

This page is a work in progress, and includes copyfree or public domain software choices organized alphabetically by category:

• Audio Production and Editing
• Cryptography
• Database
• Design or Fabrication Tool
• Entertainment
• Graphics
• Inferno/P9 Software
• Media Player
• Network Client or Analysis Tool
• Office Tool
• Operating System
• Parser
• Programming Language Implementation or Environment
• Security Tool
• Server
• Terminal Emulator, Multiplexer, or Shell
• Text Tool
• Version Control
• Web/XML Browser
• Web Content Management
• Window Manager or GUI Environment
• X Tool
• Other

The license status listed for each piece of software is the "primary" license under which it is distributed. In several cases, parts of the software package may be distributed under other licenses -- potentially even non-copyfree licenses, as in the case of all BSD Unix items currently in the Operating System category, which are generally distributed with a number of non-copyfree tools, including GNU utilities.

Because of the potential for project maintainers mislabeling their license choices or nonspecifically identify their licenses (a particular problem with BSD license variants), a reference item has been added to many entries, linking to a reference to the source of licensing information for the project. In some cases, a statement about the license used has not been verified, or a nonspecific identification of a license has not been successfully checked for specifics; let the buyer beware. Please submit any references for license information you may find so that incomplete, nonspecific, or unreferenced entries can be updated. You are also encouraged to submit projects not included in this list (with information about licensing) if they use copyfree licenses as their primary project licenses.

Audio Production and Editing

• Port Audio: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• Pure Data: Revised BSD license (reference)

Cryptography

• axTLS: Revised BSD License (note: text matches Revised BSD License; format differs)

• Coinpunk: Simplified BSD License (reference)

• Mechiel Lukkien's DES: public domain

• Mechiel Lukkien's SHA2: public domain

• netpgp: BSD License

• OpenPGP SDK: BSD License

• OpenSSH: BSD License

• pgpdsa: public domain

• Tom Zerucha's OpenPGP: BSD License

Database

• Bucardo: Simplified BSD License (reference)

• check_postgres: Simplified BSD License (reference)

• LevelDB: Revised BSD License

• libpqxx: Revised BSD License

• Lightning Memory-Mapped Database: OpenLDAP License 2.8 (reference)

• Memcached: Revised BSD License (reference)

• pgsi: Simplified BSD License (reference)

• PostgreSQL: BSD License

• Redis: Revised BSD License (reference)

• SOCI: Boost License

• SQLite: public domain

• Tarantool: Simplified BSD License (reference)

Design or Fabrication Tool

• Magic: hybrid BSD/MIT license

Entertainment

• Droll: Open Works License (reference)

• Monster 2: Give It Your Own License, License (reference)

• oldrunner: Simplified BSD License

• vitetris: Simplified BSD License

Graphics

• ANGLE: Simplified BSD License

• GraphicsMagick: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• IUP: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• libcaca: WTFPL

• Mesa: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• OGRE: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• OpenCV: Simplified BSD License

Inferno/P9 Software

• cryptfile: public domain

• dhcpd: public domain

• ircfs: public domain

• ftpserv: public domain

• hdict: public domain

• hgfs: public domain

• hgweb: public domain

• http: public domain

• torrent: public domain

• nfssrv: public domain

• nopoint: public domain

• pdfread: public domain

• playfs: public domain

• scgid: public domain

• shttpd: public domain

• ssh: public domain

• textmangle: public domain

• ventisrv: public domain

• web: public domain

• webdavfs: public domain

• zipfs: public domain

Network Client

• BitchX: Revised BSD License (reference)

• btpd Simplified BSD License (reference)

• fdm: ISC License (reference)

• ii: MIT/X11 License

• jab: Open Works License

• rbot: MIT/X11 License

• samblah: public domain

• sic: MIT/X11 License

• tcpstat: Simplified BSD License

• unworkable: ISC License (reference)

• wpa_supplicant: Revised BSD License (reference)

Media Player

• herrie: BSD License

• vitunes: ISC License (reference)

Office Tool

• calcurse: Simplified BSD License

• Internet Message: Revised BSD License (reference)

• mmh: Revised BSD License (reference)

• newsbeuter: MIT/X11 License

• nmh: Revised BSD License (reference)

• Raggle: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• S5: public domain

Operating System

• AerieBSD: BSD licenses and ISC License

• Bitrig: BSD licenses and ISC License

• Contiki: Revised BSD License (reference)

• DesktopBSD: BSD License

• DragonFly BSD: BSD License

• FreeBSD: BSD License

• Minix 3: Minix 3 License (reference)

• NetBSD: BSD License

• OpenBSD: BSD licenses and ISC License

• PC-BSD: BSD License

• ROS: Revised BSD License (reference)

• Xv6: MIT/X11 License

Parsers

• kramdown: MIT/X11 License

• RedCarpet: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• RedRug: Open Works License

• Sundown: ISC License (reference)

• Upskirt: ISC License (reference)

Programing Language Implementation or Environment

• ANTLR: BSD License

• Berkeley Yacc: public domain

• CHICKEN: Revised BSD License (reference)

• CMU Common Lisp: public domain

• Cobra: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• Cocotron: MIT/X11 License

• Emscripten: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• Factor: Simplified BSD License (reference)

• Fay: Revised BSD license (reference)

• Gauche: BSD License

• Go: Revised BSD License (reference)

• Glasgow Haskell Compiler: BSD License

• Hugs: BSD License

• IrrRPG Builder: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• JQuery: MIT/X11 License

• LLVM: University of Illinois/NCSA Open Source License (reference)

  Selected LLVM projects:

  • Clang: University of Illinois/NCSA Open Source License (reference)

  • LLDB: University of Illinois/NCSA Open Source License (reference)

  • VMKit: University of Illinois/NCSA Open Source License (reference)

• Logo3D: ISC License

• Lua: MIT/X11 License

• MIT App Inventor: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• MochiKit: MIT/X11 License

• Nimrod: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• openFrameworks: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• Pharo: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• Portable C Compiler: BSD License

• Processing.js: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• Reia: MIT/X11 License

• Rubinius: Revised BSD License (reference)

• Ruby: Simplified BSD License (reference)

• Ruby on Rails: MIT/X11 License

• Rust: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• Scala: BSD License

• Scheme 48: BSD License

• Sizzle: Multi-Licensed MIT/X11 License or Revised BSD License

• Squeak: MIT/X11 License

• Squirrel: MIT/X11 License

• Steel Bank Common Lisp: public domain

• TenDRA: BSD License (defunct)

• TinyScheme: BSD License

• V8: BSD License

• Vagrant: MIT/X11 License (reference

• Vortex: MIT/X11 License

• Yasm: BSD License

• Ypsilon Scheme: BSD License

Security Tool

• Armitage: Revised BSD License (reference)

• getlessmail: Open Works License

• isspam: Open Works License

• Metasploit: Revised BSD License (reference)

• scmail: Revised BSD License (reference)

Server

• AppScale: Simplified BSD License (reference)

• authsrv9: public domain

• BIND: ISC License (reference)

• Hato: Revised BSD License

• Kyuba: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• lighttpd: Revised BSD License (reference)

• memcached: Simplified BSD License (reference)

• memventi: public domain

• mlmmj: MIT/X11 License

• Nginx: Simplified BSD License (reference)

• Polipo: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• qmail: public domain

• ShairPort: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• TkRat: Revised BSD License

• Unbound: Revised BSD License (reference)

• WebDFS: Revised BSD License (reference)

• X.Org: MIT/X11 License

• XtreemFS: Revised BSD License (reference)

Terminal Emulator, Multiplexer, or Shell

• dvtm: MIT/X11 License

• mlterm: Simplified BSD License

• scsh: BSD License

• Terminology: Simplified BSD License (reference)

• tmux: BSD License

• zsh: ZSH License (reference)

Text Tool

• Acme: Lucent Public License

• AkelPad: BSD License

• CharsetMove: Nietzsche Public License

• Diakonos: MIT/X11 License

• EMACS clones:

  • mg: public domain

• International Components for Unicode: ICU License (reference)

• less: Simplified BSD License

• newfile: Revised BSD License

• Notepad2: Revised BSD License

• Programmer's Notepad: Simplified BSD License

• proofread: Open Works License

• Sam: Lucent Public License

• SciTE: Historical Permission Notice and Disclaimer

• SoyWiki: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• vi clones:

  • nvi: BSD License

Version Control

• Fossil: BSD License

Web/XML Browser

• Abaco: Lucent Public License (reference)

• Chromium: BSD License

• Iron: BSD License

• OWB: BSD License

• Shiira: BSD License

• Sunrise: BSD License

• Surf: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• w3m: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• xombrero: ISC License

• X-Smiles: HUT/X-Smiles License (reference)

Web Content Management

• CLiki: MIT/X11 License

• CMMS: Nietzsche Public License

• diri: MIT/X11 License

• jekyll: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• Lump: Open Works License (reference)

• nimforum: MIT/X11 License (references)

• Pier: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• rump: Open Works License

• Serendipity: BSD License

• SMF: Revised BSD License with warranty disclaimer separated (reference)

• Squib: MIT/X11 License

• Textpattern: BSD License

• TiddlyWiki: BSD License

• WackoWiki: BSD License

• werc: public domain

Window Manager or GUI Environment

Special thanks are due Giles Orr and his Comprehensive List of Window Managers for Unix for making a lot of the work in compiling this list easy.

• AHWM: AHWM License

• AntiWM: MIT/X11 License

• Blackbox: MIT/X11 License

• Bluetile: BSD License

• Compiz: MIT/X11 License

• dvtm MIT/X11 License

• dwemo: MIT/X11 License

• dwm: MIT/X11 License

• dwm-gtx: MIT/X11 License

• echinus: MIT/X11 License

• Enlightenment: BSD License

• Etoile: Revised BSD License (reference)

• euclid-wm: BSD License

• Fluxbox: MIT/X11 License

• FVWM, OpenBSD Distribution: BSD License

• Golem X11 WM: BSD-style License

• i3: BSD License

• Lucca WM: MIT/X11 License

• mdtwm: Revised BSD license (reference)

• phluid: BSD License

• Qtile: MIT/X11 License

• spectrwm: ISC License

• spook: MIT/X11 License

• TAL/wm: MIT/X11 License

• TinyWM: public domain

• Vtwm: custom license (reference)

• whimsy: public domain

• WMFS: BSD License

• wmi: MIT/X11 License

• wmii: MIT/X11 License

• XD640: BSD License

• xmonad: BSD License

X Tool

• dmenu: MIT/X11 License

• feh: BSD License

• lsw: MIT/X11 License

• metalock: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• scrot: BSD License

• slock: MIT/X11 License

• XSel: XSel License (reference)

Other

• AMANDA: AMANDA License (reference)

• BitCoin: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• Boost: Boost License v1.0 (reference)

• cscope: Revised BSD License (reference)

• fasd: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• friendica: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• Ganglia: BSD License (reference)

• I2P:

  • I2P Addressbook: MIT/X11 License (reference)

  • I2P Installer: public domain (reference)

  • I2P Ministreaming: Simplified BSD License (reference)

  • I2P Router: public domain (reference)

  • I2P SAM Bridge: public domain (reference)

  • I2P SAM C Library: Simplified BSD License (reference)

  • I2P SAM C# Library: public domain (reference)

  • I2P SAM Python Library: public domain (reference)

  • I2P SDK: public domain (reference)

• Joytran: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• LIBSVM: Revised BSD License (reference)

• pcpustat: Open Works License

• remindwhen: Open Works License

• rote: MIT/X11 License (reference)

• TclMon: BSD License (reference)

• TTCalc: Revised BSD License

• Versionize: Open Works License