Re: OT: Open Source Apple Mods
Re: OT: Open Source Apple Mods
- Subject: Re: OT: Open Source Apple Mods
- From: email@hidden (Michael Sullivan)
- Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2001 13:08:24 -0400
- Organization: Business Card Express of Connecticut
email@hidden (Paul Skinner) writes:
>
As I understand the GPL, especially when applied to libraries, you are
>
free to sell a script or an app that uses GPL'd libraries. just don't
>
include them in your distribution.
And that's unrealistic for most potential clients, unless Applemods
start doing easy install distributions for a nominal price. Even then,
that restricts the extent to which you can include them in your own
scripts, rather than calling them separately in order to save run-time.
>
And I wouldn't want to see everyone's work rolled up into another $50
>
library like the one MacScript offers. I'm not saying they shouldn't charge
>
for their work, just saying that without protection, everything on AppleMods
>
could be incorporated into something just like that. I don't think that the
>
BSD license would prevent that.
A BSD style license could be written to prevent doing that without a
clear notice that you are merely bundling software that is freely
available from X site/person(s). I don't see what's wrong with someone
providing the service of bundling a whole pile of Applemods up and
distributing them in an easy install package and charging for that...
As long as there is no implication whatsoever that they wrote the
software, all original authors get credit, and the potential buyer is
clearly told where to get the software for free if they wish. IIRC,
that's the gist of the BSD restriction on charging for redistribution --
there may also be limits on how much can be charged, and you definitely
*can't* charge a license fee (such as per seat, or per year, etc.),
because you don't own the IP. You can only charge for distribution or
support.
Michael
--
Michael Sullivan email@hidden
Business Card Express of Connecticut Thermographers to the Trade
"You hate your job -- why didn't you say so? There's a support group
for that. It's called everybody; they meet at the bar." -Drew Carey