8 replies to this topic

[aligeox]

Hello,

I have question. Guy from Poland took oscommerce made some changes, encoding code and selling it (www.oscgold.pl).
Isn't a GNU Licence violence ?

Thx

[DunWeb]

Tomas,

You CAN sell modified versions of OSC. He is not charging you for the original code, he is charging for modifications he has done to the code. There are many people who do this, including all of the template creators.



Chris

[multimixer]

I don't know how things are regarding encoding the code

[Collines]

Quite a few of this do this kind of thing. We charge for all the contributions we have installed, the templates we have created and the support we offer. There is nothing wrong with this. We are not trying to sell the code as our own, and most of us specify very clearly that we are selling modified oscommerce stores.

[mdtaylorlrim]

As I understand the GPL, the author must make the source code for the GPL covered part of the code available as he received it. It cannot be encoded or converted into object code WITHOUT providing the source. However, you can write a module called by the source code that is encoded and NOT covered under the GPL if is so states, clearly, in whatever instructions are provided when sold.

And yes, anyone can sell open source code if they desire.

[cannuck1964]

Quote

you can write a module called by the source code that is encoded and NOT covered under the GPL if is so states, clearly, in whatever instructions are provided when sold.

Only if no original osC code is used either directly or indirectly.

If osC code is utilized then the module must also be licensed GPL.

cheers

[rabon33]

Sure! whoever can sell code, encode his own created code that is called by oscommerce etc...

Is up to the customer buy your script or not, the customer has the right to know that the framework is !oscommerce!, knowing that the framework comes from oscommerce and this is free; the customer has the option to download the free code from oscommerce page and make all the modification, new modules etc by himself.. doing that for "free".

Or, he can buy a modified store saving hours and hours of work and tests; knowing that if he got partial encoded source, he can not profit himself by reselling the modified code, or giving up for free to thousand of persons, in detriment of the coder who invested hours and hours moddifing code.

Edited by rabon33, 15 March 2011, 16:55.

[cannuck1964]

Quote

Sure! whoever can sell code, encode his own created code that is called by oscommerce etc...

Only if the encrypted code uses no osCommerce functionality. If it does, then it must release the source code as well.

Quote

Or, he can buy a modified store saving hours and hours of work and tests; knowing that if he got partial encoded source, he can not profit himself by reselling the modified code, or giving up for free to thousand of persons, in detriment of the coder who invested hours and hours modifying code.

Not true. While it would be nice to think this, many coders work tirelessly on developments, and do so to improve the public domain for code. This does not give free rein to someone to encrypt others work either wholly or in part what so ever.

cheers

Edited by cannuck1964, 24 March 2011, 20:35.

[dale-cannon]

Yes, In my opinion you can sell any type open source stuff after modifying it. But it'll be better if you read terms & condition and licence policies for that.