Timeline for How to build a commercial component from my free component?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
6 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 31, 2020 at 15:16 | comment | added | Arlen | Pretty much, but the requirement is that you make the source code available, for a charge to cover your expenses for sending it if desired, not that you actually ship it with the product. So you, in theory, could ship encrypted code with the product, so long as you tell the user where they can get the source code. The point of the GPL is the customer must be allowed access to everything they need to modify the program. It should be noted, I suppose, that a printed source listing does not satisfy this, it must be in a form than can be used to build the product. | |
| Jan 30, 2020 at 20:08 | comment | added | Irata♦ | My understanding of GPL is that you can't sell the source code or hide the source(i.e. encryption) because it is built upon other freely available code but you can sell support for your code which seems to be the model people most use. | |
| Jan 30, 2020 at 16:16 | comment | added | Arlen | I should note as a follow-on, This is not an attempt to either justify or condemn the GPL, just a comment about what rights it gives to the user and the developer. | |
| Jan 30, 2020 at 16:15 | comment | added | Arlen | Any attempt to do so violates the GPL. The whole purpose of the GPL is to preserve the freedom of the purchaser to do anything they want to do with what they bought, including pass it along to other people (that expectation is specifically mentioned in the license. You can try encrypting or phoning home, but both will lose customers, and neither will be anything near reliable. Remember, they downloaded the source, and they can legally edit whatever they want out of it. | |
| Jan 30, 2020 at 6:52 | comment | added | Jeremie | Thx for your response. What are the ways to protect my extension (code encryption? product key?...), to make sure that those who have my extension have paid? Which model is the most profitable and easy to set up according to your experience | |
| Jan 29, 2020 at 18:26 | history | answered | Arlen | CC BY-SA 4.0 |