Questions tagged [gnu]
Questions about GNU Project (free software, mass collaboration project) or GNU Operating System (a Unix-like computer operating system composed wholly of free software).
67 questions
63
votes
9
answers
9k
views
Why do some people refer to Linux as GNU/Linux?
In some cases I have noticed that some people say GNU/Linux instead of just Linux. Why is that so? Do both terms mean the same or is there a subtle difference?
- 11.4k
21
votes
4
answers
7k
views
Can others monetize my project with GPLv3?
I currently have a web game under the GNU General Public License v3.0 open sourced on GitHub. Recently I found out that someone else had forked the repository and is setting up AdSense on their ...
- 321
21
votes
2
answers
15k
views
Does GPLv3 require attribution?
I believe that GNU GPLv3 does not require attribution, but can be supplemented to do so, as stated in the additional terms (7. b) of the terms and conditions.
However, it also states, under the ...
- 260
15
votes
6
answers
495
views
Software licensing - Pre 1970's
From reference, page 4, The official ubuntu book, Eighth edition,
As computer’s became cheaper and more numerous in the late 1970’s, producer’s of software began to see value in the software itself....
- 277
13
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Why are only so few Linux distributions listed by the GNU project?
The GNU project has a list of free GNU/Linux distributions. But it lists only a few Linux distros, although hundreds do exist. Even more, very common distributions like Debian, Linux Mint or Gentoo ...
- 11.4k
13
votes
1
answer
479
views
How is the GPL3 for GNU coreutils satisfied when I pull a docker image?
I would like to learn more about satisfying GPL3 object code distribution requirements with a hopefully simple enough example.
I download a docker image for e.g. Debian from hub.docker.com with
...
- 253
12
votes
4
answers
5k
views
Which license suits best when you want users to contribute to your code and not just take it as free beer
Which License is best suited for my open source project. I am developing a web app (a template like) that has potential use in real life applications but also learning outcomes. I would like people to ...
- 231
8
votes
3
answers
774
views
Does using the GPL for a program make it GNU software?
Let's assume I write a program and release it under the GNU GPL. Can I call this software "GNU software"? If not, what is necessary to make it a part of GNU?
user490
8
votes
1
answer
606
views
Can I publish a WordPress site as MIT?
I know that WordPress is licensed GPLv2 (or later).
I also know that all things that use WordPress must also be GPLv2 (or later) compatible (eg. Plugins and Themes)
I also read somewhere that ...
- 255
7
votes
1
answer
811
views
GPL Licensed Woocommerce paid plugins
I have very basic question.
I'm building website service where I want to use WooCommerce Subscription and Membership plugins. These plugins are paid on the official websites, but there is written
...
- 173
7
votes
2
answers
6k
views
What are the implications of glibc (GNU C Library)
What are the implications of glibc? The library is installed on most GNU/Linux systems (and maybe others, don't know). The thing is it is supposedly licensed with LGPL, but I am not sure which version ...
- 175
7
votes
1
answer
512
views
Is the GNU All-Permissive License suitable for source code?
Text of the GNU All-Permissive License (also known as the "FSF All Permissive License"):
Copying and distribution of this file, with or without modification,
are permitted in any medium ...
- 743
7
votes
1
answer
2k
views
GNU GPL V3 with no code change disclosure
I read a lot of articles and information regarding my questions, but those answers were very technical and I wanted to understand the law in simple English.
https://tldrlegal.com/license/gnu-general-...
- 71
6
votes
1
answer
1k
views
GNU licence re-distribute abandoned project
I use a project that are licensed under
GNU General Public License version 2 or later
The code owner has abandoned the project and announced they leave it public as FOSS on github.
The company with ...
- 61
6
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Is ONLYOFFICE restricting our freedom with their FAQ? (AGPL v3)
or am I seeing this wrong?
After some digging (It's NOT easy to find on their site), I found the community version ("Open Source" version) of ONLYOFFICE.
However, after reading their FAQ, it seems ...
- 63
6
votes
2
answers
242
views
How do I use GNU licensed code copyrighted by the original author?
I am writing open-source code based on another author's open-source code. The original author licensed the code under the GNU Public License and copyrighted it under his name. I am, of course, ...
6
votes
1
answer
312
views
GitHub with temporary code under 'GNU General Public License'
I am writing a software project, and have created a repository for it on GitHub for backup reasons (I don't actually want to publish it).
I began doing a little refactoring, and as an experiment ...
- 163
6
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Do I need to show branding for TinyMCE (self hosted, free usage license)?
I want to use TinyMCE rich text editor in one of our project.
We are using angular warpper of TinyMCE.
We will host the tinymce.min.js in our servers (not tinymce cloud). Exact steps mentioned at end ...
- 161
6
votes
1
answer
428
views
Is it possible to use a LGPLv3 plug-in in a GPLv2 program?
From the license point of view:
Is it possible to use a plugin written under "LGPLv3+" in a program protected by "GPLv2"?
The plugin is built as a ".so" library and at ...
- 163
5
votes
4
answers
2k
views
How to change the licence of Java project from GNU/ GPL to MIT / BSD / Apache
I had developed a Java application which is connected to MySQL Workbench by using mysql-connector-java-8.0.21.jar file. When I deploy the project and send source code to the client he says that:
The ...
- 161
5
votes
1
answer
697
views
What to do if someone forked my project and removed its license?
Say you created a website and it's open-source under MIT.
A month later, I changed it to GPL-3.0 License.
A month passed again, someone forked my project in GitHub and is making money off it via ...
- 153
5
votes
3
answers
3k
views
How I can monetize GNU GPL product developed (and currently updating) by me?
I am a developer of Open Source product under GNU GPL license. I always looking for some time and power to make important changes in it (fix bugs and add more improvements), however, it becomes harder ...
- 159
5
votes
1
answer
989
views
Can I show a GNU GPL licensed software in a TV movie?
Am I allowed to show the interface of a GNU GPL licensed piece of software being used in a TV movie? I'm not in the US, so "fair use" and similar applications do not apply unfortunately.
- 53
5
votes
1
answer
655
views
Using Oracle VirtualBox Base Package for Commercial Applications
The VirtualBox Base Package is licensed under the GNU General Public License, version 2.
My company is distributing software that runs on an Ubuntu system within a VirtualBox VM. We have not modified ...
- 153
5
votes
2
answers
674
views
Shouldn't LGPL v3.0 provide exception to section 5 (instead of section 3) of GPL v3.0?
Taken from section 1 LGPL v3.0 (https://www.gnu.org/licenses/lgpl-3.0.en.html):
You may convey a covered work under sections 3 and 4 of this License without being bound by section 3 of the GNU GPL.
...
4
votes
1
answer
179
views
Sell content separately for app licensed under GNU v3?
If you're using a library that is licensed under GNU GPL v3 to help develop your application, then from what I understand, you must release your application for free and it's source code.
Is it then ...
- 143
4
votes
1
answer
338
views
How to edit a "GPL version 2" code and provide it to the customer (to get paid)?
A customer (from a freelancer website, who awarded me this single project) has asked me to add some extra functionality to a Wordpress plugin which is licensed under "GPL version 2", the customer ...
- 195
4
votes
1
answer
377
views
Implications of using Linux's Kbuild infrastructure in proprietary software
We have our own proprietary software that we are developing for commercial business. We want to sell the software and we do not have any problem in distributing the source code to our customers. Due ...
- 61
4
votes
2
answers
282
views
The specifics of licensing public domain code within project under GNU GPLv3+
I'm developing a project which I'm about to release under the GNU GPL 3+ license. It does, however, contain a number of public domain subroutines.
Question: How do I go about placing a GPL license ...
- 65
3
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Is GPL linking to AGPL possible?
Suppose I have a program that uses a library released under the AGPL license. Can the program be released as GPL, or does it have to be released as AGPL too ?
- 215
3
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Are license headers required under the AGPLv3?
While applying AGPLv3 I discovered the following statement on the GNU website's page titled How to use GNU licenses for your own software about 10 paragraphs in:
If you are releasing your program ...
- 380
3
votes
1
answer
198
views
Need help understanding GNU LGPL terms
I'm a new developer and recently have to work on project where I guess using arduino lib will be easy, because writing my own library will be a lot more time consuming. This isn't a mass production ...
- 133
3
votes
1
answer
168
views
Is it possible/necessary to add Classpath Exception to LGPL?
I see people comparing the GPL with a Classpath exception to the standard LGPL. Does this mean that LGPL already has the Classpath exception or some language already similar enough to it? If not, can ...
3
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Use and distribute executable licensed under GNU GPLv2 with proprietary software
I'm a little confused. Can I use a GNU GPLv2 licensed piece of software with a proprietary (closed source) piece of software without affecting the license of the proprietary software?
Am I able to ...
- 31
3
votes
1
answer
2k
views
GNU GPL v2 - Using libraries?
I had a question about the GNU General Public License v2 license. More specifically, I'm using a library with a GNU GPL v2 license. I'm merely importing it in Java through Maven, I'm not ...
3
votes
2
answers
326
views
Using GNU General Public Licensed code in an MIT Licensed application
I am developing a GUI Java-based application using swing and am thinking of using the MIT license, though when reading the licenses stated in the components of java swing I see that they are licensed ...
- 31
3
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Can I use proprietary library in a GPL-Compatible library loaded on a gpl Program?
I am asking mainly to be sure.
To describe it better, I want to use some external functionality that is available through a proprietary library. Since the library IS NOT compatible with GPL Programs, ...
- 33
3
votes
1
answer
98
views
GNU license for "Open Metronome" - what license applies to beats generated with it?
If i am using the GNU-licensed software "Open Metronome" (https://sourceforge.net/projects/openmetronome/) to create the basic rhythm of my own music, I am wondering if I can freely ...
- 31
3
votes
0
answers
164
views
AGPL license - RStudio Server
I know that there are certainly already many questions on this topic - I have also read through quite a few, but unfortunately still do not understand it.
I am in the process of deploying an RShiny ...
- 31
3
votes
0
answers
30
views
Port GPL EXT-4 to MINIX 3
The goal is to allow user to use a USB that is ext-4.
I understand Minix 3 is similar to BSD, and ext-4 is GNU GPL. So as a user, I can port ext-4 to Minix 3 and make it GPL so I can use it.
But, what ...
- 41
3
votes
1
answer
165
views
Bundling GCC along with my GPLv2 project
Is it legal to bundle the GCC cross-compiler (tar.bz2 file) along with a GPL v2 licensed ARMv4T processor core on Github? The compiler will extracted during simulations to compile C code for the core ...
user11221
2
votes
4
answers
314
views
What's the point of running free software on non-free hardware?
What is the point of running software that does not violate the four freedoms if our hardware does?
Most of us have modern hardware which contains backdoors that allow manufacturers to access the ...
- 31
2
votes
1
answer
190
views
Can I edit software under GNU Lesser GPL for my paid app [duplicate]
I'm building a chat bot based on Alice AIML set providing here: https://code.google.com/archive/p/aiml-en-us-foundation-alice/
I'm planning to edit this AIML set and expand it by adding new phrases.
...
- 123
2
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Can you commercialize a GNU General Public License product?
So from what I understand a product under GNU General Public License needs to stay under GNU General Public License (with references to the previous copyright owner).
So if you sell it then the full ...
- 31
2
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Can I sell my project using GNU GPL v3?
At first, I always developed commercial projects only, so I bad know GNU licenses. Now, I want to make my library available for other developers. And maybe to find co-developers. So, I chosen GNU GPL ...
- 131
2
votes
1
answer
705
views
How can I check if a library is covered by the GCC Runtime Library Exception?
I want to check if a file in GCC that is linked into my program, such as libgcc.a and crti.o, is covered by The GCC Runtime Library Exception. According to the FAQ, I should check its license header, ...
- 65
2
votes
1
answer
182
views
Forking a project with conflicting licenses
I’m forced to work with software that has been given incompatible licenses by its authors. They have created an original API that they’ve licensed under the GNU GPL, but then they implement that API ...
- 185
2
votes
1
answer
39
views
Relicensing AGPLv3 content
I got some code that is Open Source published under, GNU AFFERO GENERAL v3, my question is can I re-licenses to so something more strict with sharing? And what license could I change it to, to be more ...
- 163
2
votes
1
answer
543
views
How can I use this GPLv2+ file in my MIT project?
I was having a programming problem and Google brought me to this blog, which refers to a GPLv2+ licensed file. However, I would like to keep my project MIT-licensed. What should I do?
I'm considering ...
- 145
2
votes
1
answer
873
views
Why GNU doesn't blame the zlib license of the same _patent treachery_ problems of the BSD-2 license?
GNU comments the BSD-2-clause license in: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.en.html#FreeBSD, referencing the comments on the BSD-3-clause license as all applying to the BSD-2-clause license.
...
- 64