Personally, I would recommend against releasing software into the public domain. The legal ramifications are not 100 % clear. For example it might be possible that you at a later time can retroactively withdraw it from the public domain again. Other nations than the US may also have limitations on whether you can actually release something into the public domain (my country does). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain for gory details.
The problem is: If I want to use software that has been released into the public domain, I probably need to be a lawyer to understand how to do it 100 % safely, or whether the author later can change his mind and make demands of me.
Personally, I use the Creative Commons license for my work, as it is the license with the most through legal foundation. This means that you don't have to interpret law to understand what it means. With public license, you really should.
Discussion on:
Message 11 of 1
The best of ZDNet, delivered
ZDNet Newsletters
Get the best of ZDNet delivered straight to your inbox



