The PHP project is voting on a major license change that would replace its current dual-licensing scheme (PHP v3.01 and Zend v2.0) with the standard BSD three-clause license. This change, led by Ben Ramsey, aims to simplify licensing and reduce confusion that has existed since the current licenses were adopted in 2006. The community vote on the RFC runs through April 4, 2026, marking a significant shift from PHP's history of frequent license changes in its early years.
Background
PHP has used a dual-licensing scheme since 1998, initially adopting GPLv2 alongside a custom PHP License to balance open source principles with commercial interests. The current licensing structure has been in place since 2006 but has caused confusion in the developer community.
- Source
- Lobsters
- Published
- May 7, 2026 at 06:56 PM
- Score
- 7.0 / 10