Hmm. LGPL lets you embed an LGPL'ed library into a commercial application,
without requiring that commercial application to be released open source!
Only changes to the LGPL'ed library itself require the source code of the
changes to be released.
While the Apache license lets you fork the Apache code, make modifications,
and sell the result as closed-source, the LGPL requires that the
modifications also be released as open source. I can understand how this
might limit one's abilities to make money off of the open source code base
itself. But, in the case of LGPL, this is only for derivative products of
the library itself, not of applications built using the library. You can
still embed LGPL'ed code into a closed-source application without releasing
source code to the closed-source application.
Of course, as the other responder has already so eloquently stated, you
*can* sell GPL/LGPL'ed code for money. You just have to make the source
code freely available, too. Take a look at any of the Linux distributions
for a simple case in point.
-dan
-----Original Message-----
From:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
ache.org]On Behalf Of Alex Fernandez
Sent: Saturday, August 25, 2001 4:57 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Free software, again? (was Re: Need your advice ...)
Hi folks!
Flame war! Flame war! The list is a bit soft lately :)
IANAL, so I'll play the wise guy.
Peter Donald wrote:
> Apaches software is free software (in both senses of word) - it is just
not
> copyleft.
Not necessarily in both senses. The license allows you to, e.g., burn
Tomcat on CDs and sell them for $100.
[snip]
> > I'm in the business to make money off of Open Source. I believe in Open,
> > not Free.
>
> Hey - I don't much like copyleft anymore either and I am all for money
making
> off OSS. I still can't see how your claim that LGPL could cause legal
issues
> is substantiated though.
You can make money off free software. Just go to every company that uses
Weblogic or iPlanet where Tomcat would do, and make them buy your
freshly made CDs;
you can make a lot of money this way :)
On the other hand, you can also sell GPL'ed products. That's what RedHat
does.
I'm not trying to instruct you with these obvious comments, since you
are surely aware of these facts; it's just that your post can mislead
other people. That is not fair.
Un saludo,
Alex.
