[LUGSB] GPL and other Software License

[Chris Wright]

2008/5/23 agent fat <agentfat2000 at yahoo.com>:
> I have been trying to understand exactly what happens when I write programs
> that use libraries/frameworks released under the GNU GPL.
>
> Particularly I was wondering about the joomla. If I decided to write a web
> application that uses their framework or extends Joomla. Does it mean that I
> have to release my source code. If not, under what conditions does the GPL
> require release of source code, and under which conditions would that not be
> ok.

If your website uses a GPL library, that puts no requirements on your
site's code unless you distribute the website. That's sometimes viewed
as a loophole in the GPL; the Affero Public License addresses this
issue. Given that there is an alternative license just for this issue,
it's safe to assume that the GPL in no way limits your use of Joomla
-- that allowing others the web pages you create is not the same as
distributing a derivative work.

> Also an explanation of how one can create proprietary software under the BSD
> license would be nice.

The BSD license doesn't require you to disclose the source code when
distributing derivative works. It just requires attribution, as I
recall.