On Jan 19, 2008 9:22 AM, Michael Baierl <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Jan Kachlik - NewMail wrote: > > i have one small question. I like GUI a style of Roundcube webmail. > > Can i use some GUI and style for own webmail programmed in python ? > > My product is commercial software for our customers.. > > Hi Jan, > you are only allowed to use parts of the Roundcube Mail System in case > you are also going to publish it under the GPL. Open Source does not > mean you can take the work of others and sell it... > > Please read and understand the GPL; a lot of companies (especially > companies producing routers based on Linux) did not, lost at court and > had to publish their source code....
BTW, the GPL is not so black and white simple. GPL means that if you distribute your "software", you have to give people your source code also. This (unfortunately) does not mean that just because you are using GPL software in your commercial product that you have to put it online and give it to the world. There are people for example who used a very popular opensource webshop, forked and are now selling "their" product. They couldn't sell it closed-source though! GPL also means that people can put it online - regardless if you consider your product to be "commercial" or not. So for example (to stick with the same example) I can buy their webshop and I am allowed to put this in p2p. Also keep in mind - with your code, you have to give credits (where due) and also "have to" (or should?) distribute the GPL license. Or at least let people know where they can find this. So all confusion aside: he can use parts of RoundCube (except the icons, see my previous email), he just has to give his customers the code as well. I am not even sure if there is something that allows you to distribute closed-source in Python - but anyway. ;-) If anyone needs to correct my "interpretation" or can add to it, feel free to. No loose claims though. ;-) Have a great weekend, Till _______________________________________________ List info: http://lists.roundcube.net/dev/
