Some of you asked about the conditions for the distribution of
new versions of the CERN WWW Library of Common Code (libwww), the
CERN Line Mode Browser (www) and the WWW HTTP Daemon (httpd).
The new versions will remain freely available, for general use, and at
no cost.
The only change is that the material distributed will remain
copyrighted by CERN. As a consequence, a copyright notice will have to
appear in copies, but also, the rights of the users will be protected,
in particular by preventing third parties to turn free software into
proprietary software, and deny the users the rights to freely use the
material.
These principles are those used by most distributors of free software,
including the X consortium.
The proper copyright notice is being ratified and will be available in
a few days.
We hope all those who have trusted CERN WWW software will continue to
do so, and will appreciate that these conditions not only maintain the
free distribution but better protect it.
Francois Fluckiger
Leader, WWW development, CERN