SPDX Clears Confusion Around Software Licenses

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The Software Package Data Exchange (SPDX) is a Linux Foundation project to help reduce the ambiguity of software by defining standards for reporting information. The license is one such piece of information. SPDX provides a format for listing the specific license variant and version that applies to a software package. With over 300 licenses, you’re likely to find the one you use. The License List contains a human-friendly name, a short name, and a link to the full license text. SPDX also provides guidelines for matching the text of a license file to the official text of the license.

The SPDX Working Group recently released version 3.0 of the License List. This major revision includes clarified identifiers for GPL versions, improved matching guidance, and a new master format for the list. The new format replaces a spreadsheet and text files in favor of an XML-style template. This allows for richer expression of fields within the licenses.

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