[jdom-interest] JDOM license evaluation

[Kenworthy, Edward]

Have a read of the GPL. If you modify any code distributed under GPL and
then distribute it yourself then your modifications *must* also be
distributed under GPL - ie as open source.

LGPL (library GPL) allows you to write code using the libraries without
havaing to put your code into open source (so you can write commercial stuff
using the gnu libraries as they are licensed under LGPL).

I believe if you modify JDOM (eg produce your own proprietary version JDOM)
then what you produce (if you distribute it) must be open source. If you use
it as a library (I believe) it is licensed under LGPL so you can write
closed-source apps using it. 

-----Original Message-----
From: Jon Baer [mailto:jonbaer at digitalanywhere.com]
Sent: 18 May 2001 00:36
To: jdom-interest
Subject: Re: [jdom-interest] JDOM license evaluation


Bryan Thale wrote:

> Here's a risk of using commercial software to consider:
> You may be forced by the vendor to "upgrade" to an inferior or buggy or
> bloated version of the software simply because they will no longer
> support the version you are using.  With open source software, you need
> never upgrade if you don't need or want to.  That is a particular
> advantage for embedded products.

I have a question, are you allowed to technically "repackage" JDOM into 
another open source (or eventually hopefully commercial) entity into 
your own package? 

I have this problem with open source in that its cool to learn alot from 
it and embedd it into your stuff and watch it work, but I have always 
been afraid of what legal obligations there are in that you are a 
developer and understand the building blocks you are putting in and 
would be open to supporting it yourself because you know what is happend 
and can edit to fit your needs (its biggest advantage) but A) want to 
fully respect the people who created the original in the first place B) 
feel that you contributions eventually turn it into another product or 
type of that product or fork of that product that you dont feel 
obligated anymore. 

Are there any open resources on the web that specifically cover these 
subjects?  I want someone to look over my www.alicebot.net project.

- Jon

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