[CLUE-Tech] [CLUE TALK] Using Open Source for commercial purposes

[Matt Gushee]

On Thu, Jan 02, 2003 at 07:48:56PM -0700, Jeffery Cann wrote:
> 
> 'commercial purposes'.  It is generally not against most open source licenses 
> to use them for a commercial product.  The issue is whether you actually 
> modify the code within apache or tomcat or whatever.  If you do, you normally 
> have to provide the source code changes available to the public.

I think that needs a little clarification: as far as I know, most OS
licenses don't obligate you to make changes public if you are just using
the software internally--certainly the GPL doesn't: it says you have to
make the source available under the same terms as the binaries--so if
you're not distributing binaries, you don't have to distribute source,
regardless of what you have done to it.

> On Wednesday 01 January 2003 06:08 pm, rknech at pcisys.net wrote:

> > solution corporate wide. Go to using Tomcat etc..  One big thing I am
> > trying to find out is  there an issue with using Open Source software for
> > comercial purposes.  Say using Apache, Tomcat etc.. for a comercial
> > website.

I'm not aware of any license problems with Tomcat, but apparently some
Java-based open source projects have run into trouble with
patent-related provisions of the Sun and/or IBM public license, so you
might want to proceed with caution on that. Here's a reference:

  http://vmaster.sourceforge.net/problem.html

-- 
Matt Gushee                 When a nation follows the Way,
Englewood, Colorado, USA    Horses bear manure through
mgushee at havenrock.com           its fields;
http://www.havenrock.com/   When a nation ignores the Way,
                            Horses bear soldiers through
                                its streets.
                                
                            --Lao Tzu (Peter Merel, trans.)