On Tue, Dec 14, 2010 at 3:43 AM, Anthony <abasta...@gmail.com> wrote: > The FSF has a different agenda from people who want to distribute their > web2py applications closed source. GPL plus exceptions certainly works, but
However, FSF's agenda also aligns with that of Massimo and some of us, contributors. We DO go by the spirit in which GPL was created (incidentally, I also license my open-source code under GPL/LGPLv3 lately). If exception works, than I think it's good enough. > apparently it does create an obstacle for some (at least 3 people in this > thread, and several on reddit, who presumably are representative of some > segment of the potential user population). Is it worth catering to this > segment of the population? Perhaps not, but I don't necessarily want to > dismiss them as in need of counseling. Most other frameworks are indeed > MIT/BSD, so these people aren't crazy. I don't know about Massimo, but to me, potential user facing a real trouble would be someone like LightDot, who found Massimo's statements and the exception good enough. You should also look at others who have already created commercial applications under the provided terms with no legal consequence. Perhaps these things are underexposed, but nevertheless it looks to me like there is a way for people to get informed and start hacking at their own business. Rather than just switching licenses, why don't we just help Massimo clarify what he wanted to convey? > "You can distribute web2py app under any license you like as long they do > not contain web2py code." Yes, but that is not entirely correct. Your application will contain some scaffolding code. It is extremely important that the scaffolding code be either liberated from the terms of GPL via an exception. I think I've already mentioned this early on in this thread. Anyway, here's the excerpt from the book: "web2py is open source and released under the GPL2.0 license, but applications developed with web2py are not subject to any license constraint. In fact, as long as they do not contain web2py source code, they are not considered "derivative works". web2py also allows the developer to bytecode-compile applications and distribute them as closed source, although they will require web2py to run. The web2py license includes an exception that allows web developers to ship their products with original pre-compiled web2py binaries, without the accompanying source code." The actual commercial exception clause states the following: "We allow the redistribution of unmodified binary versions of web2py provided that they contain a link to the official web2py site. This means you can redistribute web2py in binary or other closed source form together with the applications you develop as long as you acknowledge the author. If you make any modification to web2py you must distribute it together with the modified source code according to GPLv2.0. You can distribute web2py app under any license you like as long they do not contain web2py code." Maybe something like this would be better (optionally vetted by a lawyer): "binary version" means byte code version of web2py or your application "application" or "app" is software that is written specifically to run on web2py framework "scaffolding" is a process of setting up the necessary directory structure and files as the initial state of your application source code "template code" includes content in HTML and/or CSS and/or plain text format, placeholder text, images, and Python and/or JavaScript code to create the initial state of the application source code "copyrighted template material" includes images and copyright notices that appear in template content. "you" means licensee, and may be an individual or a company "bundling" means distributing an application along with web2py either as source code or as binary version in unmodified form A You hare hereby granted non-exclusive and non-perpetual license to: 1. Freely distribute or modify the template code to create an application. 2. Distribute the application under a license of your choosing for commercial and/or personal use. 3. Distribute the application as source code and/or as binary version. 4. Bundle the binary version of web2py with your application 5. Deploy your application on a web server, or as a service on an operating system using either the source code or a binary version of web2py. B Following restriction apply to above usage: 1. Your application may not include copyrighted template material. 2. Your application may not include web2py source code in either modified or unmodified form except under the terms of GNU General Public license, version 2 or any later version (at your option). 3. If your application includes portions of web2py source code, GNU General Public License shall apply only to the portions of the source code described under B/2 4. If you bundle the binary version of web2py, you must clearly note the current web address (URL) of web2py homepage and keep that information current in all distributed copies of your application. 5. If you bundle the binary version of web2py, you must clearly reproduce web2py's original copyright notice I mean something along those lines. Of course, IANAL, etc etc. -- Branko Vukelić bg.bra...@gmail.com stu...@brankovukelic.com Check out my blog: http://www.brankovukelic.com/ Check out my portfolio: http://www.flickr.com/photos/foxbunny/ Registered Linux user #438078 (http://counter.li.org/) I hang out on identi.ca: http://identi.ca/foxbunny Gimp Brushmakers Guild http://bit.ly/gbg-group
