The Free Software Foundation published the final draft of AGPL
v3 today. Like GPL v3 earlier this year, this is an open-source
license intended to fix what its authors see as a loophole in older
versions of the GPL – namely that only users who run a program
locally are entitled to its source code.
The AGPL extends this right to users who access software remotely.
For example, if Linux had been licensed under the AGPL, sites like
Google would need to include a "download source" link so
that everyone could access it.
There's no chance that Linux itself ever would move to the AGPL,
of course. But the boom in Web services and SaaS means that the
license could have a much
bigger impact on enterprise customers than GPL v3, whose changes
from v2 were concerned mainly with patents and home DRM. Early drafts of GPL v3 also addressed Web services, but the language concerning this was eventually taken out (and relegated to the AGPL.)
Like any new open source license, the AGPL won't have any
impact unless it's actually used. And even then, it will take time to
have an effect: SaaS providers who have already received code under
the regular GPL or another license can continue to use it under it's
original terms, and wouldn’t have to start offering downloads
until they upgrade to a version licensed under the AGPL.
So who will use the license, if anyone? The most likely adopters
are open source vendors who also sell commercial licenses to service
providers, such as Digium. After them, SaaS startups themselves might
also take to it.
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
Maintaining existing network infrastructures often incurs huge technical debt before newer technologies are adopted over time.
Amid ongoing regional uncertainties, telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has expand to include terrestrial low-latency network infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks.
