License of Python

[Lie]

On Mar 30, 10:28 pm, "D'Arcy J.M. Cain" <da... at druid.net> wrote:
> On Sun, 30 Mar 2008 08:16:39 -0700 (PDT)
>
> iu2 <isra... at elbit.co.il> wrote:
> > > > I'd like to use Python in a commercial application. In fact I would
> > > > like to write the application entirely in Python.
> > > > But I think I wouldn't like telling what language the application is
> > > > written in.
>
> > > Why is the reason for that?
>
> > Due to Competitors... I don't want to expost the language I use
>
> You might hide it from many of your customers but don't count on hiding
> it from your competitors.  Chances are, if they don't know it because
> they just don't care.

Even if you create your program in C, it is always possible (for an
advanced user/determined competitor) to guess what language (compiler)
you're using. And I haven't even mentioned that you can guess Windows
Defender is created using Visual Basic Classic (VB6) because one of
its windows still use VB6's default icon. There are cues that could
hint what language is used to create a program: default icons (e.g.
VB6's default icon), interface widgets (notoriously Java's Swing),
PEID (which is quite reliable although you could manipulate it), the
name (e.g. CPython), included libraries, libraries used (e.g. MSVCRT),
etc.

And I can't see any obvious advantage you could get by hiding the
language you use from your competitors, it isn't like they would
switch their language to your language if they can't catch up with
you, and they can't anti-advertise you because of the language you
used.


> I intend to use pyinstaller, so there is no .pyc at all.
> The main problem is when I use small programs (as single EXE) sent to
> someone as a means of maintenance or debugging.
> Sending Python's license file together with one EXE seems to me too
> obvious

AFAIK (__someone please confirm this__) you don't need to include
Python's license in your program, unless you distribute Python's
binary/source code (i.e. The Python Interpreter and Friends) in your
program. So if you're sending a small program for maintenance or
debugging since you don't need to include the Python Interpreter (you
assumed that there is already one in the machine) you don't need to
include the license. You might need to include the license if the
maintenance program is for updating the Python Interpreter though.