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Concord, our GPL outliner

scripting.com

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Re: Concord, our GPL outliner

#11

GPL? How does this interact (legally) with other running JavaScript? Do I have to make the rest of my site's JavaScript "GPL" as a result? I'm curious, does the dynamic nature of JavaScript make browser-based GPL Javascript essentially LGPL? Any lawyers or FSF advocates out there know?

I've never seen a good answer to that question. I've emailed the FSF and others and they all tell me to consult a lawyer for how the license works (if they respond at all).

Re: Concord, our GPL outliner

#13
post #12

3k LOC in a single file... ouch. Someone introduce Dave to makefiles.

I'm almost certain he writes the code using an outliner tool as well like was the case for the scripting language that shipped with frontier and the OPML editor so that probably makes it easier for him to manage. At least it will be easy to include into a project ;-)

Re: Concord, our GPL outliner

#14
post #11

GPL? How does this interact (legally) with other running JavaScript? Do I have to make the rest of my site's JavaScript "GPL" as a result? I'm curious, does the dynamic nature of JavaScript make browser-based GPL Javascript essentially LGPL? Any lawyers or FSF advocates out there know?

I've never seen a good answer to that question. I've emailed the FSF and others and they all tell me to consult a lawyer for how the license works (if they respond at all).

IANAL, but the spirit seems to be "hey, here's this software, use it how you like, but if you distribute it (including building on it or bundling it in a product) please be kind enough to extend the same freedoms to those you give it to."

Using Concord on your site? Offer a link to the source. Modify it to work better with a framework? Offer that modification too. Build an entire product off of it? Well, be prepared to release the source to that product under GPL as well. If you don't like those terms, feel free to start from scratch and not freeload off the original authors who were kind enough to share source with you in the first place.

I don't understand how people can pay good money for things like game engines, then turn around and think that OSS doesn't have a price too, or get upset when they are asked to pay it. You just end up paying back to the community instead of into a company's coffers.

Re: Concord, our GPL outliner

#15
Should really have a demo link somewhere.

You can click through to github, to be told that it's what their Fargo tool is based on, and from there you can click through to that... to be told that you have to link it to your dropbox account before you can even try it.

Re: Concord, our GPL outliner

#16
post #15

Should really have a demo link somewhere. You can click through to github, to be told that it's what their Fargo tool is based on, and from there you can click through to that... to be told that you have to link it to your dropbox account before you can even try it.

http://littleoutliner.com/

Re: Concord, our GPL outliner

#17
post #11

GPL? How does this interact (legally) with other running JavaScript? Do I have to make the rest of my site's JavaScript "GPL" as a result? I'm curious, does the dynamic nature of JavaScript make browser-based GPL Javascript essentially LGPL? Any lawyers or FSF advocates out there know?

I've never seen a good answer to that question. I've emailed the FSF and others and they all tell me to consult a lawyer for how the license works (if they respond at all).

It is probably best to just contact the author and ask their opinion about that. For example, proprietary linux kernel drivers seem to be in a gray zone (to put it mildly), but in practice they are tolerated (whether or not the FSF approves of that).

Re: Concord, our GPL outliner

#18
post #15

Should really have a demo link somewhere. You can click through to github, to be told that it's what their Fargo tool is based on, and from there you can click through to that... to be told that you have to link it to your dropbox account before you can even try it.

In addition to the all ready linked to Little Outliner version, the project on GitHub has to examples.

Re: Concord, our GPL outliner

#19

GPL? How does this interact (legally) with other running JavaScript? Do I have to make the rest of my site's JavaScript "GPL" as a result? I'm curious, does the dynamic nature of JavaScript make browser-based GPL Javascript essentially LGPL? Any lawyers or FSF advocates out there know?

> GPL? How does this interact (legally) with other running JavaScript? Do I have to make the rest of my site's JavaScript "GPL" as a result?

That has been the interpretation of the guys distributing extjs.

Re: Concord, our GPL outliner

#20

GPL? How does this interact (legally) with other running JavaScript? Do I have to make the rest of my site's JavaScript "GPL" as a result? I'm curious, does the dynamic nature of JavaScript make browser-based GPL Javascript essentially LGPL? Any lawyers or FSF advocates out there know?

If commercial developers want to add private features to the outliner, we will try to work with them. We just want to be sure we can have a conversation about compatibility, and perhaps create revenue to fund development.

If someone had specific questions about how she could build on this, surely she would just reach out to Dave and have a conversation?

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