010-160 Open Source and Licensing 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which organization is responsible for maintaining the Open Source Definition?
- Free Software Foundation
- Open Source Initiative (Correct answer)
- Linux Foundation
- Apache Software Foundation
Correct answer: Open Source Initiative
The Open Source Initiative (OSI) maintains the Open Source Definition and approves licenses that comply with it.
Question 2: Under the MIT License, which of the following is required when redistributing the software?
- Releasing source code of modifications
- Including the original copyright notice and license (Correct answer)
- Paying a licensing fee to the original author
- Obtaining written permission from the copyright holder
Correct answer: Including the original copyright notice and license
The MIT License requires that the copyright notice and license text be included in all copies or substantial portions of the software.
Question 3: What does the term 'copyleft' mean in the context of open source software?
- Software that cannot be copied under any circumstances
- A license that requires derivative works to be released under the same license (Correct answer)
- A copyright held by a group of developers rather than one person
- Software released into the public domain with no restrictions
Correct answer: A license that requires derivative works to be released under the same license
Copyleft is a licensing strategy that requires all derivative works to be distributed under the same license terms as the original.
Question 4: Which license is commonly used by the Linux kernel?
- MIT License
- Apache License 2.0
- GNU General Public License version 2 (GPLv2) (Correct answer)
- BSD 2-Clause License
Correct answer: GNU General Public License version 2 (GPLv2)
The Linux kernel is licensed under the GNU General Public License version 2 (GPLv2), a strong copyleft license.
Question 5: A company uses open source software licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) in a proprietary product. Which statement is most accurate?
- The entire proprietary product must be released as open source
- The company must pay a fee to the Free Software Foundation
- The company can link to the LGPL library without open-sourcing its proprietary code (Correct answer)
- The company cannot use LGPL software in any commercial product
Correct answer: The company can link to the LGPL library without open-sourcing its proprietary code
The LGPL is designed to allow proprietary software to link to LGPL-licensed libraries without requiring the proprietary code to be open-sourced.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes 'freeware'?
- Software distributed at no cost but with source code available
- Software distributed at no cost but source code is typically not available (Correct answer)
- Software licensed under the GPL that is free to modify
- Any software that can be freely redistributed with modifications
Correct answer: Software distributed at no cost but source code is typically not available
Freeware refers to software available at no monetary cost, but unlike open source, it usually does not include access to the source code.
Question 7: What is a key difference between the Apache License 2.0 and the GPL v2?
- Apache 2.0 allows use in proprietary software; GPL v2 requires derivatives to remain open source (Correct answer)
- Apache 2.0 is a copyleft license; GPL v2 is permissive
- GPL v2 permits patent use; Apache 2.0 does not
- Apache 2.0 requires source code disclosure for all distributions
Correct answer: Apache 2.0 allows use in proprietary software; GPL v2 requires derivatives to remain open source
The Apache License 2.0 is permissive and allows incorporation into proprietary software, while the GPL v2 is a copyleft license requiring derivatives to be open source.
010-160 Open Source and Licensing 2
Which organization is responsible for maintaining the Open Source Definition?