Linus Torvalds
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GPL V2
GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
Version 2, June 1991
Copyright (C) 1989, 1991 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA
Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this license document, but changing it is
not allowed.
Preamble
The licenses for most software are designed to take away your freedom to share and change it. By
contrast, the GNU General Public License is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change
free software--to make sure the software is free for all its users. This General Public License applies to
mostoftheFreeSoftwareFoundation'ssoftwareandtoanyotherprogramwhoseauthorscommitto
using it. (Some other Free Software Foundation software is covered by the GNU Library General Public
License instead.) You can apply it to your programs, too.
When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not price. Our General Public Licenses
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To protect your rights, we need to make restrictions that forbid anyone to deny you these rights or to
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We protect your rights with two steps: (1) copyright the software, and (2) offer you this license which
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Also,foreachauthor'sprotectionandours,wewanttomakecertainthateveryoneunderstandsthat
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Theprecisetermsandconditionsforcopying,distributionandmodicationfollow.
GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION