People put the darndest things in their licenses. Could you explain their impact on the freedom of the license?
• Send me a postcard if you like this software. This makes the license non-free. • Q: But I’d like users of my software to send me a postcard, so I can get a collection of postcards from cool places! A: So-called postcardware, or similarly emailware which requires users to send email to the author, fails the Desert Island test, so it is not free. So no: you can’t put this in the license. However we understand your desire to receive postcards from users, and would like suggest another way to achieve this goal. Instead of making this a requirement in the license, make it a personal request. Just add a personal note from the author, which is clearly not part of the license itself, saying Although it is not required, I’d very much appreciate it if users would send me postcards telling me how they are making use of this program. You should still get postcards, but they will be voluntary. Which is actually nicer, when you think about it. • If you distribute this software, you must pet a cat.
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