Selling GPL software

qwijibow · 02-10-2005, 06:09 AM

Quote:

qwijibow: Your statement is slightly misinformed

Under the GPL: You can sell your software. You only have to give someone access to your sourcecode if they have access to your software. Since you are selling your software, the only way for them to get access to the sourcecode is to buy a copy.

However, if someone were to buy a copy of your software and download the sourcecode, they would be allowed to redistribute the code as long as it fell under the GPL.

http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html#SEC3

Please people, read the facts before misinforming the newbies

oh sorry, i thought that was the definition of "shared source"

am i correct in thinking that a coustomer of the program could request the source code, then redistibute it ???

dxdad · 02-10-2005, 08:03 AM

Yes, as I understand it if you distribute GPL software (sell or give away (any price, not just a reasonable cost - any price you want)) You have to give the source code to anyone who you distribute the software to.

So if I let anyone download the software, I have to let anyone download the source if they want. I can stick all together in one big download if I want or separate - but the source must match the binaries.

Then the person who I have distributed it it may then distribute the software in exactly the same way - they may sell or give away, and they must provide the source to anyone who they distribute the software to exactly matching the binaries.

The software they distribute may be modified in anyway or left as I made it, but it must stay GPL, so anyone they distribute it to may also sell/give-it-away .