Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries

2009-05-06 Thread Yves Moisan

> > Whence licence exceptions e.g. in ExtJS
> > (http://extjs.com/products/floss-exception.php) 


> Assuming that you consider them valid. Red Hat Legal is "firm that this
> exception clause isn't valid." --
> https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=471509#c2 

Thanx for the precision Chris.


> ExtJS is a whole different ball of wax than the OP was talking about;
> it's best not to treat too much in that project's licensing as doctrine,
> since it's different from any other open sourced project I've ever dealt
> with, and unusual in a number of ways. 

Right.  Thanx.

Yves


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Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries

2009-05-05 Thread Cuinet Jérôme

Yeah !

I found the flaw :
There is two files in glibc folder, COPYING and COPYING.LIB.
COPYING is the GPL text.
COPYING.LIB is the LGPL text.

Logic !

And the presence of the license text don't mean that the software is under 
that license. The mention that means what license is to be applied could be 
under any file writen by "the copyright holder", and in this case it is the 
README file.


It is what I have missed.


Thanks


Jérôme
- Original Message - 
From: "Christopher Schmidt" 

To: "OSGeo Discussions" 
Sent: Tuesday, May 05, 2009 10:23 PM
Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries



On Tue, May 05, 2009 at 10:09:50PM +0200, Cuinet Jérôme wrote:

I'm curious and I have seen the GNU libc license, and it's obviously GPL.


It's not GPL, it's LGPL.

"Released under the GNU Lesser General Public License, glibc is free 
software."


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_C_Library


According to this thread, if I have well understood the GPL, all software
linked with glibc are licensed under GPL ?


If glibc was GPL, yes.


I had seen
http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/gpl-faq.html#PortProgramToGL wich
suggest that a lib such as glibc is under LGPL. But the license text of
glibc is well the GPL, with the last paragraph : "This General Public
License does not permit incorporating your program into
proprietary programs."


Where are you getting the license text of glibc that it says this?
I can't find a license file which indicates this.



What I have missed ?


Jérôme
- Original Message - From: "P Kishor" 
To: "OSGeo Discussions" 
Sent: Tuesday, May 05, 2009 7:19 PM
Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries


On Tue, May 5, 2009 at 12:02 PM, Christopher Schmidt
 wrote:

On Tue, May 05, 2009 at 11:55:47AM -0500, P Kishor wrote:

..


Thanks Dan (and Christopher and others), I see the distinction now
between GPL and LGPL. However, I am reading the actual GPL text and
its extensive FAQ, instead of Wikipedia's interpretation of it, to try
and sift through all the variations and exceptions to better
understand this now. Hopefully I will come out better informed from
this process. In the meantime, the distinction that you point out
between GPL and LGPL makes sense.


http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/gpl-faq.html#LinkingWithGPL

"The combination itself is then available under those GPL versions."


..

This actually gets even more clear as mud... from the para above the
link provided above, we have the following --


Can I release a non-free program that's designed to load a GPL-covered
plug-in?

It depends on how the program invokes its plug-ins. For instance, if
the program uses only simple fork and exec to invoke and communicate
with plug-ins, then the plug-ins are separate programs, so the license
of the plug-in makes no requirements about the main program.

If the program dynamically links plug-ins, and they make function
calls to each other and share data structures, we believe they form a
single program, which must be treated as an extension of both the main
program and the plug-ins. In order to use the GPL-covered plug-ins,
the main program must be released under the GPL or a GPL-compatible
free software license, and that the terms of the GPL must be followed
when the main program is distributed for use with these plug-ins.

If the program dynamically links plug-ins, but the communication
between them is limited to invoking the ‘main’ function of the plug-in
with some options and waiting for it to return, that is a borderline
case.

Using shared memory to communicate with complex data structures is
pretty much equivalent to dynamic linking.


So, the above question is possibly closer in spirit to the OP that
started this thread. Can I create a commercial (and ostensibly closed
source, although that closed-source-ness of the program was not asked
for by the OP) program with "LGPL GIS SDK or library". The answer
would be yes. But, the answer would be yes with GPL as well, but then
we would get into whether or not the result would be open or closed
source, and what the license of the result would be. Yes, I muddied
the issue a bit by using the example of ShapeLib, but, perhaps that is
a good thing, because it does illustrate the need for thinking it
through carefully... what are we doing with the GPL program? Are we
linking? Are we doing a "simple fork and exec"? Do we have some other
borderline case?

Once again, the clearest advice would be -- if you think you have the
possibility of creating a business that is based on software worth
protecting its source, and yet want to use other free software, pony
up some cash up-front and get a real lawyer to advice you. Don't
listen to folks on mailing lists or read wikipedia articles... invest
in a lawyer. Otherwise, take the easy way out and stay free.

I ac

Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries

2009-05-05 Thread Christopher Schmidt
On Tue, May 05, 2009 at 10:09:50PM +0200, Cuinet Jérôme wrote:
> I'm curious and I have seen the GNU libc license, and it's obviously GPL.

It's not GPL, it's LGPL.

 "Released under the GNU Lesser General Public License, glibc is free 
software." 

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_C_Library

> According to this thread, if I have well understood the GPL, all software 
> linked with glibc are licensed under GPL ?

If glibc was GPL, yes. 

> I had seen  
> http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/gpl-faq.html#PortProgramToGL wich  
> suggest that a lib such as glibc is under LGPL. But the license text of  
> glibc is well the GPL, with the last paragraph : "This General Public  
> License does not permit incorporating your program into
> proprietary programs."

Where are you getting the license text of glibc that it says this?
I can't find a license file which indicates this.

>
> What I have missed ?
>
>
> Jérôme
> - Original Message - From: "P Kishor" 
> To: "OSGeo Discussions" 
> Sent: Tuesday, May 05, 2009 7:19 PM
> Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries
>
>
> On Tue, May 5, 2009 at 12:02 PM, Christopher Schmidt
>  wrote:
>> On Tue, May 05, 2009 at 11:55:47AM -0500, P Kishor wrote:
> ..
>>>
>>> Thanks Dan (and Christopher and others), I see the distinction now
>>> between GPL and LGPL. However, I am reading the actual GPL text and
>>> its extensive FAQ, instead of Wikipedia's interpretation of it, to try
>>> and sift through all the variations and exceptions to better
>>> understand this now. Hopefully I will come out better informed from
>>> this process. In the meantime, the distinction that you point out
>>> between GPL and LGPL makes sense.
>>
>> http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/gpl-faq.html#LinkingWithGPL
>>
>> "The combination itself is then available under those GPL versions."
>>
> ..
>
> This actually gets even more clear as mud... from the para above the
> link provided above, we have the following --
>
> 
> Can I release a non-free program that's designed to load a GPL-covered  
> plug-in?
>
> It depends on how the program invokes its plug-ins. For instance, if
> the program uses only simple fork and exec to invoke and communicate
> with plug-ins, then the plug-ins are separate programs, so the license
> of the plug-in makes no requirements about the main program.
>
> If the program dynamically links plug-ins, and they make function
> calls to each other and share data structures, we believe they form a
> single program, which must be treated as an extension of both the main
> program and the plug-ins. In order to use the GPL-covered plug-ins,
> the main program must be released under the GPL or a GPL-compatible
> free software license, and that the terms of the GPL must be followed
> when the main program is distributed for use with these plug-ins.
>
> If the program dynamically links plug-ins, but the communication
> between them is limited to invoking the ‘main’ function of the plug-in
> with some options and waiting for it to return, that is a borderline
> case.
>
> Using shared memory to communicate with complex data structures is
> pretty much equivalent to dynamic linking.
> 
>
> So, the above question is possibly closer in spirit to the OP that
> started this thread. Can I create a commercial (and ostensibly closed
> source, although that closed-source-ness of the program was not asked
> for by the OP) program with "LGPL GIS SDK or library". The answer
> would be yes. But, the answer would be yes with GPL as well, but then
> we would get into whether or not the result would be open or closed
> source, and what the license of the result would be. Yes, I muddied
> the issue a bit by using the example of ShapeLib, but, perhaps that is
> a good thing, because it does illustrate the need for thinking it
> through carefully... what are we doing with the GPL program? Are we
> linking? Are we doing a "simple fork and exec"? Do we have some other
> borderline case?
>
> Once again, the clearest advice would be -- if you think you have the
> possibility of creating a business that is based on software worth
> protecting its source, and yet want to use other free software, pony
> up some cash up-front and get a real lawyer to advice you. Don't
> listen to folks on mailing lists or read wikipedia articles... invest
> in a lawyer. Otherwise, take the easy way out and stay free.
>
> I actually quite like GPL's philosophy -- it doesn't restrict at all
> what I do with GPLed software. It only stops me from restricting
&g

Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries

2009-05-05 Thread Cuinet Jérôme

I'm curious and I have seen the GNU libc license, and it's obviously GPL.

According to this thread, if I have well understood the GPL, all software 
linked with glibc are licensed under GPL ?


I had seen 
http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/gpl-faq.html#PortProgramToGL wich 
suggest that a lib such as glibc is under LGPL. But the license text of 
glibc is well the GPL, with the last paragraph : "This General Public 
License does not permit incorporating your program into

proprietary programs."

What I have missed ?


Jérôme
- Original Message - 
From: "P Kishor" 

To: "OSGeo Discussions" 
Sent: Tuesday, May 05, 2009 7:19 PM
Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries


On Tue, May 5, 2009 at 12:02 PM, Christopher Schmidt
 wrote:

On Tue, May 05, 2009 at 11:55:47AM -0500, P Kishor wrote:

..


Thanks Dan (and Christopher and others), I see the distinction now
between GPL and LGPL. However, I am reading the actual GPL text and
its extensive FAQ, instead of Wikipedia's interpretation of it, to try
and sift through all the variations and exceptions to better
understand this now. Hopefully I will come out better informed from
this process. In the meantime, the distinction that you point out
between GPL and LGPL makes sense.


http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/gpl-faq.html#LinkingWithGPL

"The combination itself is then available under those GPL versions."


..

This actually gets even more clear as mud... from the para above the
link provided above, we have the following --


Can I release a non-free program that's designed to load a GPL-covered 
plug-in?


It depends on how the program invokes its plug-ins. For instance, if
the program uses only simple fork and exec to invoke and communicate
with plug-ins, then the plug-ins are separate programs, so the license
of the plug-in makes no requirements about the main program.

If the program dynamically links plug-ins, and they make function
calls to each other and share data structures, we believe they form a
single program, which must be treated as an extension of both the main
program and the plug-ins. In order to use the GPL-covered plug-ins,
the main program must be released under the GPL or a GPL-compatible
free software license, and that the terms of the GPL must be followed
when the main program is distributed for use with these plug-ins.

If the program dynamically links plug-ins, but the communication
between them is limited to invoking the ‘main’ function of the plug-in
with some options and waiting for it to return, that is a borderline
case.

Using shared memory to communicate with complex data structures is
pretty much equivalent to dynamic linking.


So, the above question is possibly closer in spirit to the OP that
started this thread. Can I create a commercial (and ostensibly closed
source, although that closed-source-ness of the program was not asked
for by the OP) program with "LGPL GIS SDK or library". The answer
would be yes. But, the answer would be yes with GPL as well, but then
we would get into whether or not the result would be open or closed
source, and what the license of the result would be. Yes, I muddied
the issue a bit by using the example of ShapeLib, but, perhaps that is
a good thing, because it does illustrate the need for thinking it
through carefully... what are we doing with the GPL program? Are we
linking? Are we doing a "simple fork and exec"? Do we have some other
borderline case?

Once again, the clearest advice would be -- if you think you have the
possibility of creating a business that is based on software worth
protecting its source, and yet want to use other free software, pony
up some cash up-front and get a real lawyer to advice you. Don't
listen to folks on mailing lists or read wikipedia articles... invest
in a lawyer. Otherwise, take the easy way out and stay free.

I actually quite like GPL's philosophy -- it doesn't restrict at all
what I do with GPLed software. It only stops me from restricting
others.

Puneet.
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RE: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries

2009-05-05 Thread Landon Blake
"I already look at Geotools library, and i am looking for something
similar but with better rendering performance."

I don't think such an open source project exists, at least not under the
LGPL. A couple of other projects you could check out are gvSIG and the
IGeoDesktop from the deegree Project.

However, I think you are going to find a tough time doing better than
the rendering code in Geotools. Why not contact the Geotools developers
and ask about funding and/or assisting the development of the
improvements you need to their rendering system?

One good thing to remember about open source software communities: You
often get out what you are willing to put in.

Landon
Office Phone Number: (209) 946-0268
Cell Phone Number: (209) 992-0658
 
 

-Original Message-
From: discuss-boun...@lists.osgeo.org
[mailto:discuss-boun...@lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of Ljiljana Ilic
Sent: Tuesday, May 05, 2009 12:57 PM
To: OSGeo Discussions
Subject: Re: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries

Thanks Tyler,

I am looking for Java GIS library, which is capable of working with
various geospatial data 
formats: ESRI shapefiles, KML, GML, PostGis, GeoTiff etc.
I am looking for library that is quite stable and with remarkable
rendering capabilities, panning and zooming.
I want to define somehow what will be seen in particular zoom layer, and
how (styling).
Also major requirement is freedom to place additional level contained
from symbols on top 
of basically static background map. It is required that symbols on top
layer often change 
their style and that should not affect rendering of map too much.
I need to develop desktop application with support for vector maps.
I already look at Geotools library, and i am looking for something
similar but with better rendering performance.

Best regards.

- original message 

Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries
Sent: Tue, 05 May 2009
From: Tyler Mitchell (OSGeo)

> On 5-May-09, at 6:07 AM, Nenad Milasinovic wrote:
> 
> > I am interested is there any reliable open source, LGPL licensed  
> > GIS SDK or library suited for building commercial, platform  
> > independent GIS application on top of it.
> > I am also interested for commercial solutions but only as SDK or  
> > library.
> > I will appreciate any help.
> 
> All OSGeo applications are open source licensed and can be built on  
> top of on most operating systems.  On http://osgeo.org there is a  
> list of projects that are under the OSGeo umbrella, some are  
> specifically libraries for processing or data conversion, whereas  
> others are application frameworks or desktop/web applications you can

> customise.
> 
> Do you have something specific you are looking to create?
> 
> Tyler
> ___
> Discuss mailing list
> Discuss@lists.osgeo.org
> http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
> 

--- original message end 

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Re: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries

2009-05-05 Thread Ljiljana Ilic
Thanks Tyler,

I am looking for Java GIS library, which is capable of working with various 
geospatial data 
formats: ESRI shapefiles, KML, GML, PostGis, GeoTiff etc.
I am looking for library that is quite stable and with remarkable rendering 
capabilities, panning and zooming.
I want to define somehow what will be seen in particular zoom layer, and how 
(styling).
Also major requirement is freedom to place additional level contained from 
symbols on top 
of basically static background map. It is required that symbols on top layer 
often change 
their style and that should not affect rendering of map too much.
I need to develop desktop application with support for vector maps.
I already look at Geotools library, and i am looking for something similar but 
with better rendering performance.

Best regards.

- original message 

Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries
Sent: Tue, 05 May 2009
From: Tyler Mitchell (OSGeo)

> On 5-May-09, at 6:07 AM, Nenad Milasinovic wrote:
> 
> > I am interested is there any reliable open source, LGPL licensed  
> > GIS SDK or library suited for building commercial, platform  
> > independent GIS application on top of it.
> > I am also interested for commercial solutions but only as SDK or  
> > library.
> > I will appreciate any help.
> 
> All OSGeo applications are open source licensed and can be built on  
> top of on most operating systems.  On http://osgeo.org there is a  
> list of projects that are under the OSGeo umbrella, some are  
> specifically libraries for processing or data conversion, whereas  
> others are application frameworks or desktop/web applications you can  
> customise.
> 
> Do you have something specific you are looking to create?
> 
> Tyler
> ___
> Discuss mailing list
> Discuss@lists.osgeo.org
> http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
> 

--- original message end 

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RE: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries

2009-05-05 Thread Barbier-Accary Aurélien
> -Message d'origine-
> De : discuss-boun...@lists.osgeo.org [mailto:discuss-
> boun...@lists.osgeo.org] De la part de Tyler Mitchell (OSGeo)
> Envoyé : mardi 5 mai 2009 18:00
> À : OSGeo Discussions
> Objet : Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries
>
> On 5-May-09, at 6:07 AM, Nenad Milasinovic wrote:
>
> > I am interested is there any reliable open source, LGPL licensed
> > GIS SDK or library suited for building commercial, platform
> > independent GIS application on top of it.
> > I am also interested for commercial solutions but only as SDK or
> > library.
> > I will appreciate any help.
>
> All OSGeo applications are open source licensed and can be built on
> top of on most operating systems.  On http://osgeo.org there is a
> list of projects that are under the OSGeo umbrella, some are
> specifically libraries for processing or data conversion, whereas
> others are application frameworks or desktop/web applications you can
> customise.
>
> Do you have something specific you are looking to create?
>
> Tyler
> ___
> Discuss mailing list
> Discuss@lists.osgeo.org
> http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

Hi,

For the client part of the platform, OpenScales.org is a tool licensed under 
LGPL and based on ActionScript3 and/or Flex and/or AIR that aims to fullfill 
the lacks of the clients coded in JavaScript(like OpenLayers) using fully the 
resources of the computers.

Editing a large number of vectors will be possible and enhanced using the AMF3 
protocol.

Thanks to the virtual machine, the same code is used with same results under 
every browser (computer and mobile) but of course the performances depend on 
the implementation of the virtual machine.

See http://openscales.org for more details and 
http://groups.google.com/group/openscales-dev for questions.

Regards,

Aurelien Barbier-Accary


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Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries

2009-05-05 Thread Christopher Schmidt
On Tue, May 05, 2009 at 01:47:32PM -0400, Yves Moisan wrote:
> > > 
> > > But if he wants to keep his code under some closed-source license then he 
> > > can
> > > not link to or embed any GPL licensed code or library.
> 
> Whence licence exceptions e.g. in ExtJS
> (http://extjs.com/products/floss-exception.php) to allow using ExtJS
> (GPL) with an application/library that is distributed as an open source
> type of license.  

Assuming that you consider them valid. Red Hat Legal is "firm that this
exception clause isn't valid." --
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=471509#c2 

(The comment even points out that the FLOSS exception would require you
to make your program not open source in order to apply, because you
limit the field of use, which is a violation of the OSD.)

ExtJS is a whole different ball of wax than the OP was talking about;
it's best not to treat too much in that project's licensing as doctrine,
since it's different from any other open sourced project I've ever dealt
with, and unusual in a number of ways. 

Regards,
-- 
Christopher Schmidt
Web Developer
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Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries

2009-05-05 Thread Yves Moisan

> > 
> > But if he wants to keep his code under some closed-source license then he 
> > can
> > not link to or embed any GPL licensed code or library.

Whence licence exceptions e.g. in ExtJS
(http://extjs.com/products/floss-exception.php) to allow using ExtJS
(GPL) with an application/library that is distributed as an open source
type of license.  

My understanding is that what this tells is if you are distributing a
closed-source app, either GPL it (or buy a license, in the specific case
of ExtJS) but if you're in the open source bandwagon, then you can use
our GPL'ed piece and not have to relicense your already open source
software to GPL.  I think things are clearer for me now.

Yves

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RE: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries

2009-05-05 Thread Landon Blake
Here is a concrete example:

I believe OpenJUMP plug-ins must be released under the GPL, because they
are dynamically loaded and share data structures with the core program.

This is a good discussion. Thanks. :]

On a side note: I believe that UDig is released under the LGPL and it is
cross-platform. It might suit the needs of the original poster.

Landon
Office Phone Number: (209) 946-0268
Cell Phone Number: (209) 992-0658
 
 
-Original Message-
From: discuss-boun...@lists.osgeo.org
[mailto:discuss-boun...@lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of P Kishor
Sent: Tuesday, May 05, 2009 10:19 AM
To: OSGeo Discussions
Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries

On Tue, May 5, 2009 at 12:02 PM, Christopher Schmidt
 wrote:
> On Tue, May 05, 2009 at 11:55:47AM -0500, P Kishor wrote:
.
>>
>> Thanks Dan (and Christopher and others), I see the distinction now
>> between GPL and LGPL. However, I am reading the actual GPL text and
>> its extensive FAQ, instead of Wikipedia's interpretation of it, to
try
>> and sift through all the variations and exceptions to better
>> understand this now. Hopefully I will come out better informed from
>> this process. In the meantime, the distinction that you point out
>> between GPL and LGPL makes sense.
>
> http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/gpl-faq.html#LinkingWithGPL
>
> "The combination itself is then available under those GPL versions."
>
.

This actually gets even more clear as mud... from the para above the
link provided above, we have the following --


Can I release a non-free program that's designed to load a GPL-covered
plug-in?

It depends on how the program invokes its plug-ins. For instance, if
the program uses only simple fork and exec to invoke and communicate
with plug-ins, then the plug-ins are separate programs, so the license
of the plug-in makes no requirements about the main program.

If the program dynamically links plug-ins, and they make function
calls to each other and share data structures, we believe they form a
single program, which must be treated as an extension of both the main
program and the plug-ins. In order to use the GPL-covered plug-ins,
the main program must be released under the GPL or a GPL-compatible
free software license, and that the terms of the GPL must be followed
when the main program is distributed for use with these plug-ins.

If the program dynamically links plug-ins, but the communication
between them is limited to invoking the 'main' function of the plug-in
with some options and waiting for it to return, that is a borderline
case.

Using shared memory to communicate with complex data structures is
pretty much equivalent to dynamic linking.


So, the above question is possibly closer in spirit to the OP that
started this thread. Can I create a commercial (and ostensibly closed
source, although that closed-source-ness of the program was not asked
for by the OP) program with "LGPL GIS SDK or library". The answer
would be yes. But, the answer would be yes with GPL as well, but then
we would get into whether or not the result would be open or closed
source, and what the license of the result would be. Yes, I muddied
the issue a bit by using the example of ShapeLib, but, perhaps that is
a good thing, because it does illustrate the need for thinking it
through carefully... what are we doing with the GPL program? Are we
linking? Are we doing a "simple fork and exec"? Do we have some other
borderline case?

Once again, the clearest advice would be -- if you think you have the
possibility of creating a business that is based on software worth
protecting its source, and yet want to use other free software, pony
up some cash up-front and get a real lawyer to advice you. Don't
listen to folks on mailing lists or read wikipedia articles... invest
in a lawyer. Otherwise, take the easy way out and stay free.

I actually quite like GPL's philosophy -- it doesn't restrict at all
what I do with GPLed software. It only stops me from restricting
others.

Puneet.
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Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries

2009-05-05 Thread P Kishor
On Tue, May 5, 2009 at 12:02 PM, Christopher Schmidt
 wrote:
> On Tue, May 05, 2009 at 11:55:47AM -0500, P Kishor wrote:
..
>>
>> Thanks Dan (and Christopher and others), I see the distinction now
>> between GPL and LGPL. However, I am reading the actual GPL text and
>> its extensive FAQ, instead of Wikipedia's interpretation of it, to try
>> and sift through all the variations and exceptions to better
>> understand this now. Hopefully I will come out better informed from
>> this process. In the meantime, the distinction that you point out
>> between GPL and LGPL makes sense.
>
> http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/gpl-faq.html#LinkingWithGPL
>
> "The combination itself is then available under those GPL versions."
>
..

This actually gets even more clear as mud... from the para above the
link provided above, we have the following --


Can I release a non-free program that's designed to load a GPL-covered plug-in?

It depends on how the program invokes its plug-ins. For instance, if
the program uses only simple fork and exec to invoke and communicate
with plug-ins, then the plug-ins are separate programs, so the license
of the plug-in makes no requirements about the main program.

If the program dynamically links plug-ins, and they make function
calls to each other and share data structures, we believe they form a
single program, which must be treated as an extension of both the main
program and the plug-ins. In order to use the GPL-covered plug-ins,
the main program must be released under the GPL or a GPL-compatible
free software license, and that the terms of the GPL must be followed
when the main program is distributed for use with these plug-ins.

If the program dynamically links plug-ins, but the communication
between them is limited to invoking the ‘main’ function of the plug-in
with some options and waiting for it to return, that is a borderline
case.

Using shared memory to communicate with complex data structures is
pretty much equivalent to dynamic linking.


So, the above question is possibly closer in spirit to the OP that
started this thread. Can I create a commercial (and ostensibly closed
source, although that closed-source-ness of the program was not asked
for by the OP) program with "LGPL GIS SDK or library". The answer
would be yes. But, the answer would be yes with GPL as well, but then
we would get into whether or not the result would be open or closed
source, and what the license of the result would be. Yes, I muddied
the issue a bit by using the example of ShapeLib, but, perhaps that is
a good thing, because it does illustrate the need for thinking it
through carefully... what are we doing with the GPL program? Are we
linking? Are we doing a "simple fork and exec"? Do we have some other
borderline case?

Once again, the clearest advice would be -- if you think you have the
possibility of creating a business that is based on software worth
protecting its source, and yet want to use other free software, pony
up some cash up-front and get a real lawyer to advice you. Don't
listen to folks on mailing lists or read wikipedia articles... invest
in a lawyer. Otherwise, take the easy way out and stay free.

I actually quite like GPL's philosophy -- it doesn't restrict at all
what I do with GPLed software. It only stops me from restricting
others.

Puneet.
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Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries

2009-05-05 Thread Christopher Schmidt
On Tue, May 05, 2009 at 11:55:47AM -0500, P Kishor wrote:
> On Tue, May 5, 2009 at 11:33 AM, Daniel Ames  wrote:
> > IANAL either, but I do read wikipedia. So by way of clarification...
> > Everything I've read makes a clear distinction between GPL and LGPL such
> > that GPL code can not be embedded in or linked to a closed source
> > application. Period. Whereas L-GPL licensed code can be linked to a closed
> > source application.
> > See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_Lesser_General_Public_License
> > So if the individual wants to link to GPL licensed code/libraries and is
> > willing to make his code GPL then fine. He can still run a commercial
> > business based on this code, as many people do.
> > But if he wants to keep his code under some closed-source license then he
> > can not link to or embed any GPL licensed code or library.
> 
> Thanks Dan (and Christopher and others), I see the distinction now
> between GPL and LGPL. However, I am reading the actual GPL text and
> its extensive FAQ, instead of Wikipedia's interpretation of it, to try
> and sift through all the variations and exceptions to better
> understand this now. Hopefully I will come out better informed from
> this process. In the meantime, the distinction that you point out
> between GPL and LGPL makes sense.

http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/gpl-faq.html#LinkingWithGPL

"The combination itself is then available under those GPL versions."

-- Chris

> All that said, please note that GPL does not prevent anyone from
> commercializing any technology, and that was the thrust of the
> original question, if I recall correctly, although, the OP
> specifically asked for only LGPL technology, so GPL was out anyway. In
> that sense, LGPL is compatible with GPL, but GPL is not compatible
> with LGPL.
> 
> In any case, all the more reason to consult an actual lawyer before
> setting out to do a commercial venture, or, be prepared to make money
> while openly sharing your code. Nothing to hide is always the better
> policy, or, at least the more headache-free policy.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> > - Dan
> >
> >
> > On Tue, May 5, 2009 at 10:24 AM, P Kishor  wrote:
> >>
> >> On Tue, May 5, 2009 at 11:06 AM, Daniel Ames  wrote:
> >> > Nenad,
> >> > The OSGeo projects use a variety of licenses. You'll see LGPL, MPL, GPL,
> >> > MIT, and others. If you are developing commercial tools, you'll need to
> >> > avoid GPL (someone correct me if I'm wrong.)
> >>
> >> 
> >> Disclaimer: IANAL. Get legal advice from your lawyer before embarking
> >> on your million dollar enterprise.
> >> 
> >>
> >> I'll correct you, because, as stated above, you are misrepresenting at
> >> best, and wrong at worst. ;-)
> >>
> >> GPL does not prevent you from making money. GPL only requires that if
> >> you modify the code that is under GPL, then you must redistribute the
> >> modified code under GPL. Granted this may not be easy to figure out in
> >> real world scenarios, but consider the following --
> >>
> >> Let's say ShapeLib is published under GPL (I don't know whether or not
> >> it is; this is only for illustration purpose). Let's say, MapServer
> >> utilizes ShapeLib, but doesn't modify ShapeLib, but uses ShapeLib as
> >> is. Let's say, MapServer's creator decides to make millions off of
> >> MapServer, Inc. He is under no obligation to release the source code
> >> of MapServer, but he is obligated to release the source code of
> >> ShapeLib, which is no big deal, because the source code of ShapeLib is
> >> already available to anyone.
> >>
> >> On the other hand, let's say, ShapeLib is modified to perform better,
> >> or differently, for MapServer. Now, there is an obligation to release
> >> the source code to the modified version of ShapeLib no matter what the
> >> value of that value-added might be. That is what the GPL obligates.
> >> MapServer itself is still governed by whatever license that its
> >> creator decides to apply.
> >>
> >>
> >> > Also take into consideration development platform/language.
> >> > My group (MapWindow project) has a number of people using our GIS SDK
> >> > for
> >> > commercial applications in the .NET platform. MapWindow is licensed
> >> > under
> >> > MPL 1.1 which supports commercial usage.
> >> > Dan
> >> >
> >> > On Tue, May 5, 2009 at 7:07 AM, Nenad Milasinovic
> >> >  wrote:
> >> >>
> >> >> Hello,
> >> >>
> >> >> I am interested is there any reliable open source, LGPL licensed GIS
> >> >> SDK
> >> >> or library suited for building commercial, platform independent GIS
> >> >> application on top of it.
> >> >> I am also interested for commercial solutions but only as SDK or
> >> >> library.
> >> >> I will appreciate any help.
> >> >>
> >> >> Best regards.
> >> >>
> >> >> --
> >> >> Nenad Milasinovic
> >> >> Software Development and Testing
> >> >>
> >> >> ---
> >> >>
> >> >> "ZESIUM mobile" d.o.o.
> >> >> Valentina Vodnika 8/9
> >> >> 21000 Novi Sad
> >> >> Serbia
> >> >> Tel: +381 (0)21 472 15 48
> >> >> Fax: +381 (0)21 472 1

RE: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries

2009-05-05 Thread Picavet Vincent
Hi,
Some more precision.
 
> Let's say ShapeLib is published under GPL (I don't know 
> whether or not it is; this is only for illustration purpose). 
> Let's say, MapServer utilizes ShapeLib, but doesn't modify 
> ShapeLib, but uses ShapeLib as is. Let's say, MapServer's 
> creator decides to make millions off of MapServer, Inc. He is 
> under no obligation to release the source code of MapServer, 
> but he is obligated to release the source code of ShapeLib, 
> which is no big deal, because the source code of ShapeLib is 
> already available to anyone.
> On the other hand, let's say, ShapeLib is modified to perform 
> better, or differently, for MapServer. Now, there is an 
> obligation to release the source code to the modified version 
> of ShapeLib no matter what the value of that value-added 
> might be. That is what the GPL obligates.
> MapServer itself is still governed by whatever license that 
> its creator decides to apply.

It depends what you call . If Mapserver links with the
ShapeLib library, the latter being under GPL licence, then its source
code has to be released. This is the  part of GPL.
The situation you describe is true if ShapeLib is under LGPL. If it is
under GPL, everything linked to it must be under a GPL-compliant
licence.

As Daniel says, GPL code can not be embedded in or linked to a closed
source application. Period.

Please also note that the GPL licence does not prevent any commercial
usage of the software.

Hopes this helps to clarify things.
Vincent



> 
> 
> > Also take into consideration development platform/language.
> > My group (MapWindow project) has a number of people using 
> our GIS SDK 
> > for commercial applications in the .NET platform. MapWindow is 
> > licensed under MPL 1.1 which supports commercial usage.
> > Dan
> >
> > On Tue, May 5, 2009 at 7:07 AM, Nenad Milasinovic 
> >  wrote:
> >>
> >> Hello,
> >>
> >> I am interested is there any reliable open source, LGPL 
> licensed GIS 
> >> SDK or library suited for building commercial, platform 
> independent 
> >> GIS application on top of it.
> >> I am also interested for commercial solutions but only as 
> SDK or library.
> >> I will appreciate any help.
> >>
> >> Best regards.
> >>
> >> --
> >> Nenad Milasinovic
> >> Software Development and Testing
> >>
> >> ---
> >>
> >> "ZESIUM mobile" d.o.o.
> >> Valentina Vodnika 8/9
> >> 21000 Novi Sad
> >> Serbia
> >> Tel: +381 (0)21 472 15 48
> >> Fax: +381 (0)21 472 15 49
> >> Mob: +381 (0)61 231 41 20
> >> E-mail: nenad.milasino...@zesium.com
> >>
> >> ___
> >> Discuss mailing list
> >> Discuss@lists.osgeo.org
> >> http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
> >
> >
> > ___
> > Discuss mailing list
> > Discuss@lists.osgeo.org
> > http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
> >
> >
> 
> 
> 
> --
> Puneet Kishor http://www.punkish.org/
> Carbon Model http://carbonmodel.org/
> Charter Member, Open Source Geospatial Foundation 
> http://www.osgeo.org/ Science Commons Fellow, Geospatial Data 
> http://sciencecommons.org Nelson Institute, UW-Madison 
> http://www.nelson.wisc.edu/
> --
> -
> collaborate, communicate, compete
> ==
> =
> Sent from Madison, WI, United States
> ___
> Discuss mailing list
> Discuss@lists.osgeo.org
> http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
> 
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Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries

2009-05-05 Thread P Kishor
On Tue, May 5, 2009 at 11:33 AM, Daniel Ames  wrote:
> IANAL either, but I do read wikipedia. So by way of clarification...
> Everything I've read makes a clear distinction between GPL and LGPL such
> that GPL code can not be embedded in or linked to a closed source
> application. Period. Whereas L-GPL licensed code can be linked to a closed
> source application.
> See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_Lesser_General_Public_License
> So if the individual wants to link to GPL licensed code/libraries and is
> willing to make his code GPL then fine. He can still run a commercial
> business based on this code, as many people do.
> But if he wants to keep his code under some closed-source license then he
> can not link to or embed any GPL licensed code or library.

Thanks Dan (and Christopher and others), I see the distinction now
between GPL and LGPL. However, I am reading the actual GPL text and
its extensive FAQ, instead of Wikipedia's interpretation of it, to try
and sift through all the variations and exceptions to better
understand this now. Hopefully I will come out better informed from
this process. In the meantime, the distinction that you point out
between GPL and LGPL makes sense.

All that said, please note that GPL does not prevent anyone from
commercializing any technology, and that was the thrust of the
original question, if I recall correctly, although, the OP
specifically asked for only LGPL technology, so GPL was out anyway. In
that sense, LGPL is compatible with GPL, but GPL is not compatible
with LGPL.

In any case, all the more reason to consult an actual lawyer before
setting out to do a commercial venture, or, be prepared to make money
while openly sharing your code. Nothing to hide is always the better
policy, or, at least the more headache-free policy.





> - Dan
>
>
> On Tue, May 5, 2009 at 10:24 AM, P Kishor  wrote:
>>
>> On Tue, May 5, 2009 at 11:06 AM, Daniel Ames  wrote:
>> > Nenad,
>> > The OSGeo projects use a variety of licenses. You'll see LGPL, MPL, GPL,
>> > MIT, and others. If you are developing commercial tools, you'll need to
>> > avoid GPL (someone correct me if I'm wrong.)
>>
>> 
>> Disclaimer: IANAL. Get legal advice from your lawyer before embarking
>> on your million dollar enterprise.
>> 
>>
>> I'll correct you, because, as stated above, you are misrepresenting at
>> best, and wrong at worst. ;-)
>>
>> GPL does not prevent you from making money. GPL only requires that if
>> you modify the code that is under GPL, then you must redistribute the
>> modified code under GPL. Granted this may not be easy to figure out in
>> real world scenarios, but consider the following --
>>
>> Let's say ShapeLib is published under GPL (I don't know whether or not
>> it is; this is only for illustration purpose). Let's say, MapServer
>> utilizes ShapeLib, but doesn't modify ShapeLib, but uses ShapeLib as
>> is. Let's say, MapServer's creator decides to make millions off of
>> MapServer, Inc. He is under no obligation to release the source code
>> of MapServer, but he is obligated to release the source code of
>> ShapeLib, which is no big deal, because the source code of ShapeLib is
>> already available to anyone.
>>
>> On the other hand, let's say, ShapeLib is modified to perform better,
>> or differently, for MapServer. Now, there is an obligation to release
>> the source code to the modified version of ShapeLib no matter what the
>> value of that value-added might be. That is what the GPL obligates.
>> MapServer itself is still governed by whatever license that its
>> creator decides to apply.
>>
>>
>> > Also take into consideration development platform/language.
>> > My group (MapWindow project) has a number of people using our GIS SDK
>> > for
>> > commercial applications in the .NET platform. MapWindow is licensed
>> > under
>> > MPL 1.1 which supports commercial usage.
>> > Dan
>> >
>> > On Tue, May 5, 2009 at 7:07 AM, Nenad Milasinovic
>> >  wrote:
>> >>
>> >> Hello,
>> >>
>> >> I am interested is there any reliable open source, LGPL licensed GIS
>> >> SDK
>> >> or library suited for building commercial, platform independent GIS
>> >> application on top of it.
>> >> I am also interested for commercial solutions but only as SDK or
>> >> library.
>> >> I will appreciate any help.
>> >>
>> >> Best regards.
>> >>
>> >> --
>> >> Nenad Milasinovic
>> >> Software Development and Testing
>> >>
>> >> ---
>> >>
>> >> "ZESIUM mobile" d.o.o.
>> >> Valentina Vodnika 8/9
>> >> 21000 Novi Sad
>> >> Serbia
>> >> Tel: +381 (0)21 472 15 48
>> >> Fax: +381 (0)21 472 15 49
>> >> Mob: +381 (0)61 231 41 20
>> >> E-mail: nenad.milasino...@zesium.com
>> >>
>> >> ___
>> >> Discuss mailing list
>> >> Discuss@lists.osgeo.org
>> >> http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
>> >
>> >
>> > ___
>> > Discuss mailing list
>> > Discuss@lists.osgeo.org
>> > http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
>> >
>>

Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries

2009-05-05 Thread Christopher Schmidt
On Tue, May 05, 2009 at 10:33:40AM -0600, Daniel Ames wrote:
> IANAL either, but I do read wikipedia. So by way of clarification...
> Everything I've read makes a clear distinction between GPL and LGPL such
> that GPL code can not be embedded in or linked to a closed source
> application. Period. Whereas L-GPL licensed code can be linked to a closed
> source application.
> 
> See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_Lesser_General_Public_License
> 
> So if the individual wants to link to GPL licensed code/libraries and is
> willing to make his code GPL then fine. He can still run a commercial
> business based on this code, as many people do.
> 
> But if he wants to keep his code under some closed-source license then he can
> not link to or embed any GPL licensed code or library.

You beat me to it :) this is exactly what I tried to say in my previous post.

Regards,
-- 
Christopher Schmidt
Web Developer
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Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries

2009-05-05 Thread Christopher Schmidt
On Tue, May 05, 2009 at 11:24:47AM -0500, P Kishor wrote:
> On Tue, May 5, 2009 at 11:06 AM, Daniel Ames  wrote:
> > Nenad,
> > The OSGeo projects use a variety of licenses. You'll see LGPL, MPL, GPL,
> > MIT, and others. If you are developing commercial tools, you'll need to
> > avoid GPL (someone correct me if I'm wrong.)
> 
> 
> Disclaimer: IANAL. Get legal advice from your lawyer before embarking
> on your million dollar enterprise.
> 
> 
> I'll correct you, because, as stated above, you are misrepresenting at
> best, and wrong at worst. ;-)
> 
> GPL does not prevent you from making money. GPL only requires that if
> you modify the code that is under GPL, then you must redistribute the
> modified code under GPL. Granted this may not be easy to figure out in
> real world scenarios, but consider the following --
> 
> Let's say ShapeLib is published under GPL (I don't know whether or not
> it is; this is only for illustration purpose). Let's say, MapServer
> utilizes ShapeLib, but doesn't modify ShapeLib, but uses ShapeLib as
> is. Let's say, MapServer's creator decides to make millions off of
> MapServer, Inc. He is under no obligation to release the source code
> of MapServer, but he is obligated to release the source code of
> ShapeLib, which is no big deal, because the source code of ShapeLib is
> already available to anyone.
> 
> On the other hand, let's say, ShapeLib is modified to perform better,
> or differently, for MapServer. Now, there is an obligation to release
> the source code to the modified version of ShapeLib no matter what the
> value of that value-added might be. That is what the GPL obligates.
> MapServer itself is still governed by whatever license that its
> creator decides to apply.

Er, I think you're confusing the GPL and the LGPL. What you have just
described is the situation with the LGPL, but not with GPL.

Because MapServer integrates ShapeLib (I'm assuming from your
description above that it does) then MapServer is also required to be
released under the GPL, because shapelib is linked to MapServer.
MapServer -- as it is linking ShapeLib -- is *also* required to be
released under the terms of the GPL, even if the MapServer code itself
was not.

(For the record, no part of shapelib or MapServer is released under the
GPL, to the best of my knowledge, so this is simply a straw man, not a
practical discussion.)

Any time your code includes GPL code, all of the code that incorporates
it must also be treated under the GPL.

This does *not* prevent you from making money. It simply means you also
have to give source code to the people you give object code to, and that
they are then able to do the same to others, if they choose to do so.
Red Hat makes a large amount of money by doing exactly this, for example
-- though they don't make money off giving you the software, and it
seems unlikely that much software can be 'sold' when it's under the GPL.
(It's not impossible, though -- especially when things like 'compiling
on Windows' come in to play.)

Regards,
-- 
Christopher Schmidt
Web Developer
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Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries

2009-05-05 Thread Daniel Ames
IANAL either, but I do read wikipedia. So by way of clarification...
Everything I've read makes a clear distinction between GPL and LGPL such
that GPL code can not be embedded in or linked to a closed source
application. Period. Whereas L-GPL licensed code can be linked to a closed
source application.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_Lesser_General_Public_License

So if the individual wants to link to GPL licensed code/libraries and is
willing to make his code GPL then fine. He can still run a commercial
business based on this code, as many people do.

But if he wants to keep his code under some closed-source license then he can
not link to or embed any GPL licensed code or library.

- Dan



On Tue, May 5, 2009 at 10:24 AM, P Kishor  wrote:

> On Tue, May 5, 2009 at 11:06 AM, Daniel Ames  wrote:
> > Nenad,
> > The OSGeo projects use a variety of licenses. You'll see LGPL, MPL, GPL,
> > MIT, and others. If you are developing commercial tools, you'll need to
> > avoid GPL (someone correct me if I'm wrong.)
>
> 
> Disclaimer: IANAL. Get legal advice from your lawyer before embarking
> on your million dollar enterprise.
> 
>
> I'll correct you, because, as stated above, you are misrepresenting at
> best, and wrong at worst. ;-)
>
> GPL does not prevent you from making money. GPL only requires that if
> you modify the code that is under GPL, then you must redistribute the
> modified code under GPL. Granted this may not be easy to figure out in
> real world scenarios, but consider the following --
>
> Let's say ShapeLib is published under GPL (I don't know whether or not
> it is; this is only for illustration purpose). Let's say, MapServer
> utilizes ShapeLib, but doesn't modify ShapeLib, but uses ShapeLib as
> is. Let's say, MapServer's creator decides to make millions off of
> MapServer, Inc. He is under no obligation to release the source code
> of MapServer, but he is obligated to release the source code of
> ShapeLib, which is no big deal, because the source code of ShapeLib is
> already available to anyone.
>
> On the other hand, let's say, ShapeLib is modified to perform better,
> or differently, for MapServer. Now, there is an obligation to release
> the source code to the modified version of ShapeLib no matter what the
> value of that value-added might be. That is what the GPL obligates.
> MapServer itself is still governed by whatever license that its
> creator decides to apply.
>
>
> > Also take into consideration development platform/language.
> > My group (MapWindow project) has a number of people using our GIS SDK for
> > commercial applications in the .NET platform. MapWindow is licensed under
> > MPL 1.1 which supports commercial usage.
> > Dan
> >
> > On Tue, May 5, 2009 at 7:07 AM, Nenad Milasinovic
> >  wrote:
> >>
> >> Hello,
> >>
> >> I am interested is there any reliable open source, LGPL licensed GIS SDK
> >> or library suited for building commercial, platform independent GIS
> >> application on top of it.
> >> I am also interested for commercial solutions but only as SDK or
> library.
> >> I will appreciate any help.
> >>
> >> Best regards.
> >>
> >> --
> >> Nenad Milasinovic
> >> Software Development and Testing
> >>
> >> ---
> >>
> >> "ZESIUM mobile" d.o.o.
> >> Valentina Vodnika 8/9
> >> 21000 Novi Sad
> >> Serbia
> >> Tel: +381 (0)21 472 15 48
> >> Fax: +381 (0)21 472 15 49
> >> Mob: +381 (0)61 231 41 20
> >> E-mail: nenad.milasino...@zesium.com
> >>
> >> ___
> >> Discuss mailing list
> >> Discuss@lists.osgeo.org
> >> http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
> >
> >
> > ___
> > Discuss mailing list
> > Discuss@lists.osgeo.org
> > http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
> >
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Puneet Kishor http://www.punkish.org/
> Carbon Model http://carbonmodel.org/
> Charter Member, Open Source Geospatial Foundation http://www.osgeo.org/
> Science Commons Fellow, Geospatial Data http://sciencecommons.org
> Nelson Institute, UW-Madison http://www.nelson.wisc.edu/
> ---
> collaborate, communicate, compete
> ===
> Sent from Madison, WI, United States
> ___
> Discuss mailing list
> Discuss@lists.osgeo.org
> http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
>
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Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries

2009-05-05 Thread P Kishor
On Tue, May 5, 2009 at 11:06 AM, Daniel Ames  wrote:
> Nenad,
> The OSGeo projects use a variety of licenses. You'll see LGPL, MPL, GPL,
> MIT, and others. If you are developing commercial tools, you'll need to
> avoid GPL (someone correct me if I'm wrong.)


Disclaimer: IANAL. Get legal advice from your lawyer before embarking
on your million dollar enterprise.


I'll correct you, because, as stated above, you are misrepresenting at
best, and wrong at worst. ;-)

GPL does not prevent you from making money. GPL only requires that if
you modify the code that is under GPL, then you must redistribute the
modified code under GPL. Granted this may not be easy to figure out in
real world scenarios, but consider the following --

Let's say ShapeLib is published under GPL (I don't know whether or not
it is; this is only for illustration purpose). Let's say, MapServer
utilizes ShapeLib, but doesn't modify ShapeLib, but uses ShapeLib as
is. Let's say, MapServer's creator decides to make millions off of
MapServer, Inc. He is under no obligation to release the source code
of MapServer, but he is obligated to release the source code of
ShapeLib, which is no big deal, because the source code of ShapeLib is
already available to anyone.

On the other hand, let's say, ShapeLib is modified to perform better,
or differently, for MapServer. Now, there is an obligation to release
the source code to the modified version of ShapeLib no matter what the
value of that value-added might be. That is what the GPL obligates.
MapServer itself is still governed by whatever license that its
creator decides to apply.


> Also take into consideration development platform/language.
> My group (MapWindow project) has a number of people using our GIS SDK for
> commercial applications in the .NET platform. MapWindow is licensed under
> MPL 1.1 which supports commercial usage.
> Dan
>
> On Tue, May 5, 2009 at 7:07 AM, Nenad Milasinovic
>  wrote:
>>
>> Hello,
>>
>> I am interested is there any reliable open source, LGPL licensed GIS SDK
>> or library suited for building commercial, platform independent GIS
>> application on top of it.
>> I am also interested for commercial solutions but only as SDK or library.
>> I will appreciate any help.
>>
>> Best regards.
>>
>> --
>> Nenad Milasinovic
>> Software Development and Testing
>>
>> ---
>>
>> "ZESIUM mobile" d.o.o.
>> Valentina Vodnika 8/9
>> 21000 Novi Sad
>> Serbia
>> Tel: +381 (0)21 472 15 48
>> Fax: +381 (0)21 472 15 49
>> Mob: +381 (0)61 231 41 20
>> E-mail: nenad.milasino...@zesium.com
>>
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>
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-- 
Puneet Kishor http://www.punkish.org/
Carbon Model http://carbonmodel.org/
Charter Member, Open Source Geospatial Foundation http://www.osgeo.org/
Science Commons Fellow, Geospatial Data http://sciencecommons.org
Nelson Institute, UW-Madison http://www.nelson.wisc.edu/
---
collaborate, communicate, compete
===
Sent from Madison, WI, United States
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Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries

2009-05-05 Thread Daniel Ames
Nenad,
The OSGeo projects use a variety of licenses. You'll see LGPL, MPL, GPL,
MIT, and others. If you are developing commercial tools, you'll need to
avoid GPL (someone correct me if I'm wrong.)

Also take into consideration development platform/language.

My group (MapWindow project) has a number of people using our GIS SDK for
commercial applications in the .NET platform. MapWindow is licensed under
MPL 1.1 which supports commercial usage.

Dan

On Tue, May 5, 2009 at 7:07 AM, Nenad Milasinovic <
nenad.milasino...@zesium.com> wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I am interested is there any reliable open source, LGPL licensed GIS SDK or
> library suited for building commercial, platform independent GIS application
> on top of it.
> I am also interested for commercial solutions but only as SDK or library.
> I will appreciate any help.
>
> Best regards.
>
> --
> Nenad Milasinovic
> Software Development and Testing
>
> ---
>
> "ZESIUM mobile" d.o.o.
> Valentina Vodnika 8/9
> 21000 Novi Sad
> Serbia
> Tel: +381 (0)21 472 15 48
> Fax: +381 (0)21 472 15 49
> Mob: +381 (0)61 231 41 20
> E-mail: nenad.milasino...@zesium.com
>
> ___
> Discuss mailing list
> Discuss@lists.osgeo.org
> http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
>
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Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries

2009-05-05 Thread Tyler Mitchell (OSGeo)

On 5-May-09, at 6:07 AM, Nenad Milasinovic wrote:

I am interested is there any reliable open source, LGPL licensed  
GIS SDK or library suited for building commercial, platform  
independent GIS application on top of it.
I am also interested for commercial solutions but only as SDK or  
library.

I will appreciate any help.


All OSGeo applications are open source licensed and can be built on  
top of on most operating systems.  On http://osgeo.org there is a  
list of projects that are under the OSGeo umbrella, some are  
specifically libraries for processing or data conversion, whereas  
others are application frameworks or desktop/web applications you can  
customise.


Do you have something specific you are looking to create?

Tyler
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[OSGeo-Discuss] GIS_Libraries

2009-05-05 Thread Nenad Milasinovic

Hello,

I am interested is there any reliable open source, LGPL licensed GIS SDK 
or library suited for building 
commercial, platform independent GIS application on top of it.

I am also interested for commercial solutions but only as SDK or library.
I will appreciate any help.

Best regards.

--
Nenad Milasinovic
Software Development and Testing

---

"ZESIUM mobile" d.o.o.
Valentina Vodnika 8/9
21000 Novi Sad
Serbia
Tel: +381 (0)21 472 15 48
Fax: +381 (0)21 472 15 49
Mob: +381 (0)61 231 41 20
E-mail: nenad.milasino...@zesium.com

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