On 3/1/26 06:26, Tim Düsterhus wrote:
Hi
Am 2026-02-27 23:29, schrieb Ben Ramsey:
I planned to add the PDFs to the website, similar to how we keep an artifact of the original Zend Grant there:
PHP: Zend Grant
If you think the policies repo is a better place for these artifacts, then we can put them there instead.
No strong opinion either way, as long as the PDFs are permanently available in a location under the PHP project's control. I have a slight preference for the policies repository, though. Because I wasn't aware that the pages in the website were a thing and it would never have occurred me to look there rather than php-src itself or the policies repo.
Best regards
Tim Düsterhus
Sounds good. Once accepted, I'll open a PR to the policies repository to add these PDFs, as well as the Zend Grant PDF. That will be a good, central place to keep track of them.
Cheers,
Ben
On 7/9/25 22:22, Ben Ramsey wrote:
Hello internals,
I’m opening discussion on an RFC proposing that we relicense PHP under
the Modified BSD License (SPDX identifier: BSD-3-Clause), starting with
PHP 9.0. This change simplifies and modernizes our licensing,
addressing long-standing issues while preserving the rights of both
contributors and users. Below is a quick summary of what the RFC
proposes and what it means for developers.
- Proposes that PHP 9.0 adopt the Modified BSD License (BSD-3-Clause),
replacing the current PHP and Zend Engine licenses.
- The Modified BSD License is OSI-approved, GPL-compatible, and widely
recognized in the open source community.
- Your rights as a developer—use, modification, distribution—remain
unchanged.
- Extensions and tools may adopt BSD-3-Clause in place of the outdated
PHP License.
- The update removes confusing legacy clauses tied to branding and
permissions.
I’ve spoken with all members of the PHP Group, and each has voiced their
approval of this proposal. The Perforce legal team has also informally
approved, and I will be working with them to get a formal letter of
approval soon.
The RFC is available at: PHP: rfc:php_license_update
Discussion will remain open for at least six months to ensure all
interested parties have an opportunity to respond.
Cheers,
Ben
P.S. For legal questions or concerns, I’m working with Pamela Chestek
of Chestek Legal <https://www.chesteklegal.com> on behalf of the PHP
Group. You may be familiar with her work as chair of the license
committee for the Open Source Initiative.
Hi all!
I intend to open the voting for the PHP License Update RFC on Friday, March 13. This serves as the "Intent to Vote" message.
If there are any questions or concerns regarding the RFC, please raise them at this time, so I can clarify or make any changes, as needed.
Cheers,
Ben