--- title: FreeBSD Just Removed The Last Of Its GPL-Licensed Code description: FreeBSD has completed a long-running effort to remove all GPL-licensed code from its base system, replacing the last piece — the `dialog` utility — with the... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/freebsd-just-removed-the-last-of-its-gpl-licensed-code-tiwi8u2ja twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: FreeBSD Just Removed The Last Of Its GPL-Licensed Code | daily.dev og:description: FreeBSD has completed a long-running effort to remove all GPL-licensed code from its base system, replacing the last piece — the `dialog` utility — with the... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/freebsd-just-removed-the-last-of-its-gpl-licensed-code-tiwi8u2ja og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/tiwI8U2JA.png og:image:alt: FreeBSD Just Removed The Last Of Its GPL-Licensed Code og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # FreeBSD Just Removed The Last Of Its GPL-Licensed Code **[Hackaday](https://daily.dev/sources/hackaday)** · 2 min read · 1 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary FreeBSD has completed a long-running effort to remove all GPL-licensed code from its base system, replacing the last piece — the `dialog` utility — with the BSD-licensed `bsddialog`. The entire GNU subtree in the FreeBSD codebase is now gone. The change simplifies project management by eliminating the reciprocal licensing obligations of the GPL, which requires derivative works to also be GPL-licensed. The post provides context on the historical BSD vs. GPL divide, noting how BSD's permissive licensing has enabled its use in commercial products like macOS and PlayStation's Orbis OS, while GPL's copyleft provisions famously forced Linksys to open-source its WRT54G router firmware, spawning OpenWrt. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What replaced the GPL-licensed dialog utility in FreeBSD? FreeBSD replaced the GPL-licensed dialog utility with bsddialog, a BSD-licensed alternative. This change, made via a recent commit, removed the entire GNU subtree from the FreeBSD codebase, eliminating the last piece of GPL-licensed code from the base system after decades of incorporating GNU userland tools. _Track licensing shifts like the dialog to bsddialog swap on daily.dev before they affect your build dependencies._ ### Why did FreeBSD remove all GPL-licensed code from its base system? Removing GPL code simplifies project management because GPL is reciprocal, requiring derivative works to also be released under GPL, which often conflicts with commercial use. BSD licenses only require attribution, which is why BSD components appear in commercial products like macOS, PlayStation's Orbis OS, and Windows' networking stack. _Developers weighing BSD versus GPL licensing tradeoffs can follow this debate on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [FreeBSD 16 Retires The Last Of Its GPL Code From Its Base System](https://daily.dev/posts/freebsd-16-retires-the-last-of-its-gpl-code-from-its-base-system-wrumoorzx) · Phoronix · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Tim's blog](https://daily.dev/posts/tim-s-blog-pahehjpyz) · Lobsters · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [GhostBSD planning to ditch Xorg for XLibre](https://daily.dev/posts/ghostbsd-planning-to-ditch-xorg-for-xlibre-pdxyfmfcn) · The Register · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#open-source](https://daily.dev/tags/open-source), [#linux](https://daily.dev/tags/linux) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/freebsd-just-removed-the-last-of-its-gpl-licensed-code-tiwi8u2ja) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"FreeBSD Just Removed The Last Of Its GPL-Licensed Code","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/freebsd-just-removed-the-last-of-its-gpl-licensed-code-tiwi8u2ja","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/freebsd-just-removed-the-last-of-its-gpl-licensed-code-tiwi8u2ja"},"datePublished":"2026-07-28T11:33:20.079Z","dateModified":"2026-09-13T21:32:07.018Z","description":"FreeBSD has completed a long-running effort to remove all GPL-licensed code from its base system, replacing the last piece — the `dialog` utility — with the...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/a6247fc5334db6d3d0f65d89be50c39c?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/a6247fc5334db6d3d0f65d89be50c39c?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"Hackaday","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Hackaday","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--JhDfhy70--/f_auto,q_auto/v1767541814/logos/hackaday","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/hackaday"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/freebsd-just-removed-the-last-of-its-gpl-licensed-code-tiwi8u2ja","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":1},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"open-source,linux","timeRequired":"PT2M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Hackaday","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/hackaday"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"FreeBSD Just Removed The Last Of Its GPL-Licensed Code"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/freebsd-just-removed-the-last-of-its-gpl-licensed-code-tiwi8u2ja#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What replaced the GPL-licensed dialog utility in FreeBSD?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"FreeBSD replaced the GPL-licensed dialog utility with bsddialog, a BSD-licensed alternative. This change, made via a recent commit, removed the entire GNU subtree from the FreeBSD codebase, eliminating the last piece of GPL-licensed code from the base system after decades of incorporating GNU userland tools. Track licensing shifts like the dialog to bsddialog swap on daily.dev before they affect your build dependencies."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Why did FreeBSD remove all GPL-licensed code from its base system?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Removing GPL code simplifies project management because GPL is reciprocal, requiring derivative works to also be released under GPL, which often conflicts with commercial use. BSD licenses only require attribution, which is why BSD components appear in commercial products like macOS, PlayStation's Orbis OS, and Windows' networking stack. Developers weighing BSD versus GPL licensing tradeoffs can follow this debate on daily.dev."}}]} ```