Gallery in commercial applications

oliverbarnes

Joined: 2003-05-28
Posts: 2

Posted: Wed, 2003-05-28 22:19

Hi,

is it possible to use Gallery in a commercial product? If so, what are the issues involved? I've read the GPL and from what I understood the final product's source code would have to be made available? I'm only superficially familiar with open source/free software licensing.

just fyi, i'm spec'ing out an app for a client, and researching the possibilities. a part of the functionality of this app could be taken care of by Gallery's features. This app would not be produced in large scale, but rather built custom for a few clients, so it won't be a money-making machine... even so, we'd be making a donation, of course.

any comments would be appreciated,
Oliver

joan

Joined: 2002-10-21
Posts: 3473

Posted: Thu, 2003-05-29 11:34

I'm not a lawyer, so you should probably consult one on this, but . . .

If your work contains gallery source, is gallery, or modified or translated, then you must release under GPL, so if you distribute your work, you must distribute the source too.

So, when you install your modified gallery on a clients site, you must include the source, too. Not a biggy, 'cause mostly gallery is source. Problem is that they now have your modifications, also under GPL, so they can do what they want with them, under GPL.

With GPL Version 2, you don't have to distribute the source except to people who get the software so it's not as if it you have to put it on an anonymous ftp server.

You might find http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#TOCGPLCommercially (and indeed the whole FAQ) interesting.

oliverbarnes

Joined: 2003-05-28
Posts: 2

Posted: Fri, 2003-05-30 00:11

I see your point, my client would end up having the freedom to take the finished app to another programmer... as this is something that ends up happening whether the client and I have an agreement or not (it's very hard to control what happens after it's delivered anyway), it's not a big issue for me.

thanks joan! good info. i'm going to read up on this faq.

oliverbarnes Joined: 2003-05-28 Posts: 2	Posted: Wed, 2003-05-28 22:19
	Hi, is it possible to use Gallery in a commercial product? If so, what are the issues involved? I've read the GPL and from what I understood the final product's source code would have to be made available? I'm only superficially familiar with open source/free software licensing. just fyi, i'm spec'ing out an app for a client, and researching the possibilities. a part of the functionality of this app could be taken care of by Gallery's features. This app would not be produced in large scale, but rather built custom for a few clients, so it won't be a money-making machine... even so, we'd be making a donation, of course. any comments would be appreciated, Oliver
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joan Joined: 2002-10-21 Posts: 3473	Posted: Thu, 2003-05-29 11:34
	I'm not a lawyer, so you should probably consult one on this, but . . . If your work contains gallery source, is gallery, or modified or translated, then you must release under GPL, so if you distribute your work, you must distribute the source too. So, when you install your modified gallery on a clients site, you must include the source, too. Not a biggy, 'cause mostly gallery is source. Problem is that they now have your modifications, also under GPL, so they can do what they want with them, under GPL. With GPL Version 2, you don't have to distribute the source except to people who get the software so it's not as if it you have to put it on an anonymous ftp server. You might find http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#TOCGPLCommercially (and indeed the whole FAQ) interesting.

oliverbarnes Joined: 2003-05-28 Posts: 2	Posted: Fri, 2003-05-30 00:11
	I see your point, my client would end up having the freedom to take the finished app to another programmer... as this is something that ends up happening whether the client and I have an agreement or not (it's very hard to control what happens after it's delivered anyway), it's not a big issue for me. thanks joan! good info. i'm going to read up on this faq.

Gallery in commercial applications

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