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<H1><A NAME="SECTION009100000000000000000">
B.1 History of the software</A>
</H1>
<P>
Python was created in the early 1990s by Guido van Rossum at Stichting
Mathematisch Centrum (CWI, see <a class="url" href="http://www.cwi.nl/">http://www.cwi.nl/</a>) in the Netherlands
as a successor of a language called ABC. Guido remains Python's
principal author, although it includes many contributions from others.
<P>
In 1995, Guido continued his work on Python at the Corporation for
National Research Initiatives (CNRI, see <a class="url" href="http://www.cnri.reston.va.us/">http://www.cnri.reston.va.us/</a>)
in Reston, Virginia where he released several versions of the
software.
<P>
In May 2000, Guido and the Python core development team moved to
BeOpen.com to form the BeOpen PythonLabs team. In October of the same
year, the PythonLabs team moved to Zope Corporation (then Digital
Creations; see <a class="url" href="http://www.zope.com/">http://www.zope.com/</a>). In 2001, the Python
Software Foundation (PSF, see <a class="url" href="http://www.python.org/psf/">http://www.python.org/psf/</a>) was
formed, a non-profit organization created specifically to own
Python-related Intellectual Property. Digital Creations is a
sponsoring member of the PSF.
<P>
All Python releases are Open Source (see
<a class="url" href="http://www.opensource.org/">http://www.opensource.org/</a> for the Open Source Definition).
Historically, most, but not all, Python releases have also been
GPL-compatible; the table below summarizes the various releases.
<P>
<table border align="center" style="border-collapse: collapse">
<thead>
<tr class="tableheader">
<th align="center"><b>Release</b> </th>
<th align="center"><b>Derived from</b> </th>
<th align="center"><b>Year</b> </th>
<th align="center"><b>Owner</b> </th>
<th><b>GPL compatible?</b> </th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody valign="baseline">
<tr><td align="center" valign="baseline">0.9.0 thru 1.2</td>
<td align="center">n/a</td>
<td align="center">1991-1995</td>
<td align="center">CWI</td>
<td>yes</td>
<tr><td align="center" valign="baseline">1.3 thru 1.5.2</td>
<td align="center">1.2</td>
<td align="center">1995-1999</td>
<td align="center">CNRI</td>
<td>yes</td>
<tr><td align="center" valign="baseline">1.6</td>
<td align="center">1.5.2</td>
<td align="center">2000</td>
<td align="center">CNRI</td>
<td>no</td>
<tr><td align="center" valign="baseline">2.0</td>
<td align="center">1.6</td>
<td align="center">2000</td>
<td align="center">BeOpen.com</td>
<td>no</td>
<tr><td align="center" valign="baseline">1.6.1</td>
<td align="center">1.6</td>
<td align="center">2001</td>
<td align="center">CNRI</td>
<td>no</td>
<tr><td align="center" valign="baseline">2.1</td>
<td align="center">2.0+1.6.1</td>
<td align="center">2001</td>
<td align="center">PSF</td>
<td>no</td>
<tr><td align="center" valign="baseline">2.0.1</td>
<td align="center">2.0+1.6.1</td>
<td align="center">2001</td>
<td align="center">PSF</td>
<td>yes</td>
<tr><td align="center" valign="baseline">2.1.1</td>
<td align="center">2.1+2.0.1</td>
<td align="center">2001</td>
<td align="center">PSF</td>
<td>yes</td>
<tr><td align="center" valign="baseline">2.2</td>
<td align="center">2.1.1</td>
<td align="center">2001</td>
<td align="center">PSF</td>
<td>yes</td></tbody>
</table>
<P>
<span class="note"><b class="label">Note:</b>
GPL-compatible doesn't mean that we're distributing
Python under the GPL. All Python licenses, unlike the GPL, let you
distribute a modified version without making your changes open source.
The GPL-compatible licenses make it possible to combine Python with
other software that is released under the GPL; the others don't.</span>
<P>
Thanks to the many outside volunteers who have worked under Guido's
direction to make these releases possible.
<P>
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<span class="release-info">Release 2.2, documentation updated on December 21, 2001.</span>
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