[Gambas-user] RE:Re: [Gambas-user] Licence program writed in Gambas.

Sun Jun 26 23:47:06 CEST 2005

Hi:

Note that Gambas is just an interpreter, so your Gambas code can have 
any licence, you have not to contribute
to the community, you have not to licence your program under GPL, if you 
want.

But if you use the gb.qt component (and I think the gb.db.mysql 
component), you are using functions from
a GPL library, so your program must be free software, or you must pay to 
Trolltech or MySQL.org if you want to write propietary software.

Apart from this, I do not know where's the problem: the free software 
concept (and specially the GPL licence), offers you freedom to earn 
money with your project (may be selling CDs, packaging for different 
distributions, giving support, writting and selling documentation, 
receiving money for writting an application...), but anyone has the 
freedom to copy, modify it and may be earn money with it  too :-) . 
Without the second point, there's not freedom at all: You say  "free 
software means you can do anything you want with the software, even 
selling it...". OK,  you can, but if you were the only person allowed to 
modify the code, or sell it, there's no freedom at all: Your program 
would be just propietary software (and yes, you are allowed to do it 
with Gambas).

At the end, the free software code is just helping, it does not restrict 
you nor any programmer: by now, you have here a free Basic interpreter, 
you can write propietary software with it, you can install a complete 
operating system (GNU/Linux, FreeBSD) and develope any application with 
it, or look for resources and documentation in the internet using 
Mozilla, or talk about the GPL using the Evolution or Thunderbird mail 
clients. You can offer to your costumers a complete operating system 
with your application, OpenOffice, The Gimp, Chat programs, two big 
graphical Desktops, Database applications, and more, all for FREE (as in 
beer). And you can use all LGPL and probably MIT licenced programs and 
libraries for FREE (as in beer).

But if you just want to use the QT libraries for FREE (as in beer), to 
write a propietary program, you can't do it. They've licenced the 
library as GPL, and they offer the possibility of writting propietary 
programs if you just pay some money back for their effort (I think this 
is right, this is this is respectable).

Can you compare this with the propietary world?
Where's the help in propietary software?
Can you modify VB if you find a bug that breaks your program?
Can you have VB for free?
Can you call MS for free if you have a problem?
What will you do if VB6 stops working in future Win versions?

You have to pay it all (operating system, RAD environment, updates) and 
after that, read the EULA, you have not bought anything: you have not 
the right to use it as you want.

Can you use MS propietary soft to write a program for a GNU/Linux 
costumer? No, they are modifying licences and code so wine is detected 
and prohibited.

Can you write your own drivers for free for hardware developed by your 
company? No, you have to pay the Driver SDK (and it is not cheap).

Can you freely use the propietary file formats for MS? No, they're 
adding hardware  protections to detect and filter "author rights".

Will you be able to be a programmer in the future if you do not pay a 
expensive MS programming licence? NO, it is sure, it is a BIG business.

These are restrictions.

Regards,

Daniel Campos

>Hi,
>That is a thing I really do not understand. You use a GPL software for your program, and then YOUR program becomes GPL, with all its implications (free, you cannot make money with it, and have to release the source code). 
>This really restricts the developers who can be aided by free software. I think that the word "free" means you can do anything you want with the software, even selling it, making money with it, obviously mentioning the people who programmed the parts you used.
>
>Maybe this is an Offtopic, but I felt posting it here as one person started with it and was not critizised.
>
>Thanks.
>
>Juan
>
>
>
>-- Mensaje Original --
>Enviado por: Daniel Campos <danielcampos at ...282...>
>Fecha: 26/06/2005 20:21:11
>Para: <gambas-user at lists.sourceforge.net>
>Título: Re: [Gambas-user] Licence program writed in Gambas.
>
>Arkadiusz Zychewicz escribió:
>
>  
>
>>can i make in gambas program on nonGPL licensing?
>>if no, why not?
>>
>>BTW. it's a good question to FAQ.
>>    
>>
>
>
>You can look in the gambas-user and gambas-devel lists archives, there 
>are some mails about this, written
>a time ago. You can learn more in the www.gnu.org web page too.
>
>But yes, you can do it. However if you want to use the gb.qt component, 
>you must pay a commercial license to
>Trolltech.
>
>Regards,
>
>D. Campos
>
>
>
>  
>
>>Arek.
>>
>>
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