RootSpeak Freeware Licence

RootSpeak — Advanced Messaging System for Linux Copyright (c) 2026 Nicola Fiorillo. All rights reserved.

This licence applies to every version of RootSpeak published by the Author.

1. Definitions

• "RootSpeak" means the programs rspeak and rootspeak-user, the installer install.sh, the shell hooks and the other files installed with them, the manuals and every other file published with them by the Author.
• "Author" means Nicola Fiorillo.
• "You" means any person or organisation that obtains a copy of RootSpeak.
• "Commercial Offering" means anything offered for a fee or as part of a business, including: software, operating systems, hardware, pre-installed or bundled software, subscriptions, cloud or hosted services, support, training or consulting.

2. What you may do, free of charge

1. Use RootSpeak for any purpose, on any number of machines, privately or at work, including as a tool while doing paid work (for example administering the machines of a company, a school or a customer).
2. Copy RootSpeak and give it to others, unchanged and free of charge, together with this licence.
3. Install RootSpeak with its installer on any number of machines, also with your own deployment tools, change its configuration file (/etc/rootspeak/rootspeak.conf) and write any message you like with it. These are not modifications under section 3.
4. Include RootSpeak in a collection of software (for example a software repository or a set of tools for a lab) only if the whole collection is given away free of charge, RootSpeak is unchanged, and this licence is included.

3. What you may not do without a written licence from the Author

1. Sell RootSpeak, or charge any fee for it, for copies of it, or for access to it.
2. Include, bundle, pre-install, or distribute RootSpeak as part of, or together with, a Commercial Offering, or offer a Commercial Offering whose value comes, entirely or substantially, from RootSpeak.
3. Modify RootSpeak, translate it or create derivative works of it, except as allowed in section 2.3.
4. Decompile, disassemble or reverse engineer RootSpeak, except to the extent that applicable law expressly permits it notwithstanding this limitation (in the European Union, Articles 5(3) and 6 of Directive 2009/24/EC; in Italy, Articles 64-ter and 64-quater of Law no. 633 of 22 April 1941).
5. Remove or alter the copyright notices, this licence, or the name of the Author.
6. Use the name "RootSpeak" or its logo to suggest that the Author endorses you, your product or your service.

4. Commercial licences

To do anything in section 3, for example to include RootSpeak in a product, write to rootspeak@nicfio.it. The Author may grant a commercial licence or transfer the project, on terms agreed case by case. Nothing in this licence obliges the Author to do either.

5. Ownership

RootSpeak is licensed, not sold. The Author keeps all rights not expressly granted here, including the copyright in the programs and in the manuals.

6. Third-party components

Third-party components used by RootSpeak keep their own licences, listed in NOTICE.md.

7. No warranty

RootSpeak is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including the warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. RootSpeak runs as root and changes system files (the shell startup files, the desktop autostart): you use it at your own risk. A confirmation records that a user states they have read a message; it is not proof that they have read or understood it.

8. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Author is not liable for any damage arising from the use of RootSpeak or from the inability to use it, including messages not delivered or not read, loss of data and loss of business. This does not limit liability that cannot be limited by law, such as liability for wilful misconduct or gross negligence (Article 1229 of the Italian Civil Code).

9. Termination

This licence ends automatically if you break it. You must then stop using RootSpeak and destroy your copies. Sections 5 to 10 survive the end of the licence.

10. Governing law

This licence is governed by Italian law. Any dispute belongs to the courts of Rome, Italy, except where the law gives a consumer the right to their own court.