SDL1.3 is no zlib licensed! What does this mean for developers using SDL?
1) No need to buy a developer license for iOS.
2) Statically link on any platform you want.

Well, that's pretty much it. It's an awesome change for everybody!

Update 26 Apr
Sam accepted a job offer to develop some company's upcoming MMO. He'll be working full time, so his prior plans to support SDL full-time are out. He's said he'll try to make it more community-managed, and also that it's basically ready for beta. Get to testing!
Forum Link: http://forums.libsdl.org/viewtopic.php?t=7189

That's pretty cool. Is there actually an iOS version available?

heh, great.
I must get the 1.3 and start playing with it, what's new in 1.3?

Is there actually an iOS version available? [/quote]
Yes. More than that, according to Sam Lantinga (in response to a question on the mailing list "Are there any SDL apps in the App Store"):

There are a number of companies that have built iPhone apps using SDL, but they are under confidential commercial licensing, so I can't say anything directly.[/quote]

That's pretty cool. Is there actually an iOS version available?

There has been for like 2 years, but only in the experimental 1.3 branch (which this license change applies to, not the frequently used 1.2 branch).

heh, great.
I must get the 1.3 and start playing with it, what's new in 1.3?

A lot of improvements like a lot better Performance and you can select a Version for the OpenGL Canvas.

I'm glad this happened when it did, a few days later and I would have bought a commercial license.

heh, great.
I must get the 1.3 and start playing with it, what's new in 1.3?

the hardware-accelerated rendering API. It's completely different than the software framebuffer one in 1.2, so you'll need to disregard all those old tutorials.
support for creating and using multiple windows (it's been reported as being a bit buggy, but fortunately you'll probably never need to use it for a game)
dropped ports for archaic platforms that nobody uses.
ports to new platforms, including Android and iOS.
touch input support
haptic (force feedback/vibration) support.

well, that's about it.

heh, great.
I must get the 1.3 and start playing with it, what's new in 1.3?

Lots of stuff. For example, drawing API now uses OpenGL behind the scenes (and has been expanded to offer more functionality than the old API). Also, there is now support for multiple windows and multiple monitors. The API has also been cleaned up a bit.

There has been for like 2 years, but only in the experimental 1.3 branch (which this license change applies to, not the frequently used 1.2 branch).

I wouldn't really call it an experimental branch. Sam Lantinga has, in a mailing list announcement, asked people to use 1.3 and pretend that it is finished. Experimental makes it sound like the design isn't set in stone or that the features are prototypes. Yes, its not yet finished, but I don't think experimental is the right term at this stage.

[color="#202020"][font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]However, there is a huge amount of work that remains to be done, in terms of Q/A, bug fixing, and community support.

If you would like to contribute, there are a number of ways you can help:
* If you're currently struggling with SDL 1.3, please report bugs to bugzilla and ask for help on the mailing list
* If you've been holding off on touching SDL 1.3, please pretend it's done, download it, and report bugs to bugzilla
* If you've reported issues on the mailing list in the past, pretend they're lost and re-report issues to the list and create entries for them in bugzilla [/font]
[color="#202020"][font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"][/quote][/font]

[quote name='nfries88' timestamp='1302552771' post='4797246']
There has been for like 2 years, but only in the experimental 1.3 branch (which this license change applies to, not the frequently used 1.2 branch).

I wouldn't really call it an experimental branch. Sam Lantinga has, in a mailing list announcement, asked people to use 1.3 and pretend that it is finished. Experimental makes it sound like the design isn't set in stone or that the features are prototypes. Yes, its not yet finished, but I don't think experimental is the right term at this stage.

[color="#202020"][font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]However, there is a huge amount of work that remains to be done, in terms of Q/A, bug fixing, and community support.

If you would like to contribute, there are a number of ways you can help:
* If you're currently struggling with SDL 1.3, please report bugs to bugzilla and ask for help on the mailing list
* If you've been holding off on touching SDL 1.3, please pretend it's done, download it, and report bugs to bugzilla
* If you've reported issues on the mailing list in the past, pretend they're lost and re-report issues to the list and create entries for them in bugzilla [/font]
[color="#202020"][font="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"][/quote][/font]
[/quote]

I'm well aware. If you follow the mailing list you probably recognize my username here. I also posted that quote from Sam here awhile ago. Perhaps experimental wasn't the best choice of wording, but it's not the official release yet.