⚠️ Clean-Room / Educational

This project is educational and Open Source. No code is copied from other emulators. Implementation based solely on technical documentation and permitted tests.

Add MIT License to Project

Date:2025-12-16 StepID:0006 State: Verified

Summary

Added MIT license to the project to protect educational work and clearly define how others may use, modify and distribute the code. LICENSE file created with the official text of the MIT license (year 2025). Updated README.md with license badge and improved section explaining the terms. The project is now officially Open Source under the MIT license, allowing maximum diffusion without complex restrictions.

Hardware Concept

This step does not implement hardware, but rather the legal and administrative infrastructure of the project.

Asoftware licenseis a legal contract that defines how others can use, modify and distribute the code. For Open Source educational projects, choose the correct license It is essential to protect the work and allow its dissemination.

MIT License:It is a permissive license that allows practically any use of the code, including commercial and private use, provided that the notice of copyright. It is ideal for educational projects because:

  • It's simple and easy to understand (only ~20 lines)
  • Allows maximum diffusion without complex restrictions
  • Does not require others to release their code if they use yours (unlike GPL)
  • It is widely recognized and accepted in the Open Source community.

Comparison with GPLv3:The GPL (General Public License) is a copyleft license that forces any derived code to also be released under the GPL. This can complicate the integration into educational or commercial projects that do not want to release their code. for a project educational that seeks maximum diffusion, MIT is more appropriate.

Implementation

The MIT license has been added to the project following the best practices of Open Source projects.

Components created/modified

  • LICENSE:File in the root of the project with the official text of the MIT license (year 2025, copyright "Viboy Color Contributors")
  • README.md:Added MIT license badge to the beginning of the file and improved section explaining the license terms

Design decisions

MIT's Choice on GPLv3:MIT was chosen because it is more appropriate for projects educational that seek maximum dissemination. GPLv3 would be more restrictive and could deter some users from using the code in educational or commercial contexts.

Copyright "Viboy Color Contributors":This format was used instead of a name specific to allow future contributors to feel part of the project and to avoid legal problems if the project changes maintainer.

Badge in README:Added MIT license badge using shields.io so that it is immediately visible when opening the repository. This is standard practice in Open Source projects.

Affected Files

  • LICENSE- New file with the official text of the MIT license
  • README.md- Added license badge and improved section explaining terms
  • COMPLETE_REPORT.md- Added log entry
  • docs/bitacora/index.html- Updated with new entry 0006
  • docs/logbook/entries/2025-12-16__0006__license-mit.html- New log entry

Tests and Verification

Description of how the implementation was validated:

  • Format check:The LICENSE file follows the standard MIT License format
  • Content verification:The license text is the official one, without modifications
  • README verification:The license badge is displayed correctly and the links work
  • Structure verification:The LICENSE file is in the root of the project, following standard conventions

Sources consulted

Educational Integrity

What I Understand Now

  • Permissive vs copyleft licenses:Permissive licenses (MIT, Apache) allow commercial and private use without requiring the release of derived code. Copyleft licenses (GPL) require the release of derived code under the same license.
  • MIT for educational projects:MIT is ideal for educational projects because it allows maximum dissemination without complex restrictions, making it easy for students and educators to use the code without legal concerns.
  • Importance of license:Without an explicit license, the code is protected by copyright by default, which may discourage others from using it even for educational purposes.

What remains to be confirmed

  • Compatibility with other licenses:If in the future dependencies are integrated with other licenses (GPL, Apache), compatibility will have to be verified.
  • Future contributions:If others contribute code, you will need to ensure that they accept the MIT license or add a CONTRIBUTING.md file with guidelines.

Hypotheses and Assumptions

The choice of MIT is correct for this educational project. There are no critical assumptions, since MIT is a standard and well-documented license. The license text is the official one and has not been been modified.

Next Steps

  • [ ] Consider adding CONTRIBUTING.md file with guidelines for contributors
  • [ ] Continue with the implementation of emulator components (more opcodes, PPU, APU, etc.)
  • [ ] Verify that GitHub automatically detects the MIT license in the repository