hi folks,
before a few days i thought, that all software licenced under gnu/gpl is free.
oscommerce is free
xt-commerce is free, in 2nd release. the 3rd release is only available, if you pay for support, to get a login to the sponsor-area.
is this gnu/gpl conform?
*sorry 4 my english :-)
Kein Ende wrote:
hi folks,
before a few days i thought, that all software licenced under gnu/gpl is free.
oscommerce is free
xt-commerce is free, in 2nd release. the 3rd release is only available, if you pay for support, to get a login to the sponsor-area.
is this gnu/gpl conform?
Free in Free Software is "Free" as in "Free Speech", not as in "Free Beer".. You may decide to make money from a piece of Free Software (actually many of us write free software for a living...) Only, once you buy it, you can legally copy it to a friend, redistribute it, or make modifications to it to adapt it to your needs..
That AFAIK.
Hope this helps cheers paolino
Please note that I neither am a lawyer nor do I speak on the behalf of FSFEurope.
On Fri, 2004-12-10 at 10:03 +0100, Kein Ende wrote:
before a few days i thought, that all software licenced under gnu/gpl is free.
All software licensed under the GNU GPL is Free Software
www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html
``Free software'' is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of ``free'' as in ``free speech,'' not as in ``free beer.''
oscommerce is free
Since you say it is licensed under the GNU GPL, I assume you mean ``free speech'', am I right or wrong?
xt-commerce is free, in 2nd release. the 3rd release is only available, if you pay for support, to get a login to the sponsor-area.
Since it is not a matter of price, of course anyone can charge for distributing Free Software!
is this gnu/gpl conform?
It would seem to be very much so, but I am not familiar with xt- commerce, so I can't really say for certain. Thus, I talk in principle.
Regards, Rui
Kein Ende wrote:
hi folks,
before a few days i thought, that all software licenced under gnu/gpl is free.
Free has many meanings. I suggest you read at www.gnu.org "Free as in Freedom".
Nothing in the GPL forbids charging for GPL software.
However, once one person (having paid) has received the software they are granted the freedoms of the GPL which do permit that person to further distribute the software without charge if they desire; and also they are granted access to the source (according to the GPL) and which they are required to make available if they distribute the binaries.
So, in short, if it really bothers you, go ahead and pay for support and then release the source "for free."
I don't think this is desirable though, I think it is enough that those who buy the product are kept free and not tied with vendor lock-in and proprietaryness.
As a final point if the distributor is the total copyright holder or has the co-operation of the copyright holders then they can take their own work (of which earlier releases may have been GPL) and release that work under a different license - this by virtue of owning the copyright - for after all the GPL is merely a conditional grant of extra rights that the copyright holders already possess without condition.
Sam
oscommerce is free
xt-commerce is free, in 2nd release. the 3rd release is only available, if you pay for support, to get a login to the sponsor-area.
is this gnu/gpl conform?
*sorry 4 my english :-)
I think I do so :-)
=> So, in short, if it really bothers you, go ahead and pay for support and then release the source "for free."
thx a lot sam
kein
Kein Ende wrote:
hi folks,
before a few days i thought, that all software licenced under gnu/gpl is free.
Free has many meanings. I suggest you read at www.gnu.org "Free as in Freedom".
Nothing in the GPL forbids charging for GPL software.
However, once one person (having paid) has received the software they are granted the freedoms of the GPL which do permit that person to further distribute the software without charge if they desire; and also they are granted access to the source (according to the GPL) and which they are required to make available if they distribute the binaries.
So, in short, if it really bothers you, go ahead and pay for support and then release the source "for free."
I don't think this is desirable though, I think it is enough that those who buy the product are kept free and not tied with vendor lock-in and proprietaryness.
As a final point if the distributor is the total copyright holder or has the co-operation of the copyright holders then they can take their own work (of which earlier releases may have been GPL) and release that work under a different license - this by virtue of owning the copyright - for after all the GPL is merely a conditional grant of extra rights that the copyright holders already possess without condition.
Sam
oscommerce is free
xt-commerce is free, in 2nd release. the 3rd release is only available,
if
you pay for support, to get a login to the sponsor-area.
is this gnu/gpl conform?
*sorry 4 my english :-)
On Fri, 2004-12-10 at 11:14 +0100, Kein Ende wrote:
I think I do so :-)
=> So, in short, if it really bothers you, go ahead and pay for support and then release the source "for free."
Please note that if they own _all_ the copyrights, then they may be able to distribute that new version in a non-Free form...
Rui
but what does this mean:
the licence.txt file of the 3rd release contains in first the GPL
GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
Version 2, June 1991 Copyright (C) 1989, 1991 Free Software Foundation, Inc. 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this license document, but changing it is not allowed.
Preamble The licenses for most software are designed to take away your freedom to share and change it. By contrast, the GNU General Public License is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free software--to make sure the software is free for all its users.
Can I change this Licence?, because the mods of xtc did so under the preamble of the gpl! Isn't it Copyright over Copyright = rubbish?
Kein Ende wrote:
hi folks,
before a few days i thought, that all software licenced under gnu/gpl is free.
Free has many meanings. I suggest you read at www.gnu.org "Free as in Freedom".
Nothing in the GPL forbids charging for GPL software.
However, once one person (having paid) has received the software they are granted the freedoms of the GPL which do permit that person to further distribute the software without charge if they desire; and also they are granted access to the source (according to the GPL) and which they are required to make available if they distribute the binaries.
So, in short, if it really bothers you, go ahead and pay for support and then release the source "for free."
I don't think this is desirable though, I think it is enough that those who buy the product are kept free and not tied with vendor lock-in and proprietaryness.
As a final point if the distributor is the total copyright holder or has the co-operation of the copyright holders then they can take their own work (of which earlier releases may have been GPL) and release that work under a different license - this by virtue of owning the copyright - for after all the GPL is merely a conditional grant of extra rights that the copyright holders already possess without condition.
Sam
oscommerce is free
xt-commerce is free, in 2nd release. the 3rd release is only available,
if
you pay for support, to get a login to the sponsor-area.
is this gnu/gpl conform?
*sorry 4 my english :-)