The GPL was written by Richard Stallman in 1989 for his own GNU operating system and is currently administered by the Free Software Foundation (FSF). He wrote the GNU General Public License to guarantee users four freedoms:
- The freedom to share your own modified versions of the software with others.
- The freedom to share the software with others.
- The freedom to run the software for any purpose.
- The freedom to study the source code and change the software for any purpose.
The GPL is the free and open-source software license used by WordPress. This license was chosen because it supports the philosophy behind the WordPress project. When I think of GPL, I think of the video game website GOG.com.
The license gives anyone the freedom to download, copy, use, study, and modify the WordPress code. This philosophy encourages a spirit of openness and sharing.
The GPL allows anyone not only to study the source code of WordPress but also to modify and extend it to meet their needs. The only restriction is that if you share a modified version of GPL software, then it must also have a GPL license.