There exist many a software vending sites that claim to be Open Source. But, as i have seen , they usually come along with a humongous licensing document that runs into several pages, detailing how you are supposed to use the offering. More often than not, they are covered by General Public License (GPL).

A couple of years ago, I came across this Open Source database called 'Sqlite'. Much to my amazement, as our team went along using it, I discovered that it was 'freer' than other 'free' software. This does not come with a hefty license note, nor does it prohibit its usage in any form. In their licensing page, all they have is a small paragraph that grants you permission to do anything with it.

And, there is more to it. If you take a look at their source code, the source files does not start with a copyright notice, as it is usually the case. Instead, it has a blessing that reads:

/*
** 2005 February 15
**
** The author disclaims copyright to this source code.
** In place of a legal notice, here is a blessing:
**
** May you do good and not evil.
** May you find forgiveness for yourself and forgive others.
** May you share freely, never taking more than you give.
**
*************************************************************************
** This file contains C code routines that used to
** generate VDBE code that implements the
** ALTER TABLE command.
**
** $Id: alter.c,v 1.25 2007/05/15 14:34:32 drh Exp $
*/

Phew, that was saintly! A benign gesture towards anyone who consumes it. A noble endeavor that it is, I believe, it epitomizes the True Spirit of Open Source and Free software. Long Live Sqlite!!