The Python Software Foundation License is a free software license which is compatible with the GNU General Public License (GPL). It's primary use is for distribution of the Python project software. Generally speaking, free software license is a phrase used by the free software movement to mean any software license that meets the free software definition of the Free Software Foundation (FSF). ... The GNU logo The GNU General Public License (GNU GPL or simply GPL) is a free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU project. ... Python is an interpreted programming language created by Guido van Rossum in 1990. ...
Early versions of this license were not compatible with the GPL. The reason given by Free Software Foundation is that "this Python license is governed by the laws of the 'State of Virginia', in the USA, and the GPL does not permit this." The Free Software Foundation logo The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a non-profit organization founded in October 1985 by Richard Stallman to support the free software movement (free as in freedom), and in particular the GNU project. ...
The year that Guido van Rossum, Python's creator, changed the license to fix this incompatibility, he was awarded the Free Software Foundation Award for the Advancement of Free Software - possibly due to his agreement to change the Python license. Guido van Rossum is a computer programmer who is best-known as the author of the Python programming language. ...