About Trolltech QT OpenSource license.

[Robert Kern]

king kikapu wrote:
> On Apr 11, 10:56 am, Robert Kern <robert.k... at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Others have given good answers. I would only like to clarify what I think is the
>> source of confusion here. While the FSF and many open source advocates make a
>> distinction between the words "commercial" (meaning that someone derives money
>> from distributing the software, whether it is GPLed or not) and "proprietary"
>> (meaning that the software is not being distributed under an open source license
>> but one that restricts user's rights), Trolltech abuses the term "commercial" to
>> mean "proprietary" in this case.
> 
> Ok, i see...So i can use Qt OS edition and earn money from this as
> long as i explicitly say (is a reference to a GPL in a readme text
> file enough for this ?) that this software is under the GPL lisence
> and i have the obligation to give the source code with it.

It's a bit more complicated than that. There are good resources for
understanding the implications of the GPL on the FSF's site which other people
have pointed out. I also recommend Larry Rosen's (free) book _Open Source
Licensing_, particularly Chapter 6 for understanding the GPL:

  http://www.rosenlaw.com/oslbook.htm

> I will reply to that email of Trolltec's today and i will tell them
> about the things mentioned here, basically just the sentence i wrote
> above.
> I see what they will reply and post it here...

I don't recommend it. You are talking to their salesman, not your lawyer. You
are being given a sales pitch, not legal advice.

-- 
Robert Kern

"I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma
 that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had
 an underlying truth."
  -- Umberto Eco