[Freeswitch-users] ZORG, new C++ and Java ZRTP implementation public release

Kristian Kielhofner kris at kriskinc.com
Wed Jan 12 18:51:45 MSK 2011


Brian,

  Not really...

  "IANAL" but the AGPL is virtually identical to the GPL except that
it eliminates the "ASP loophole".

  Let's pretend FreeSWITCH was licensed under the GPL.  Let's say I
make my own modifications to FreeSWITCH and provide network services
to my customers.  Under the GPL I am NOT required to provide these
source changes to anyone because I'm not distributing a binary - I'm
providing network services to customers.  The binary runs in my
datacenter (or wherever); it's not being "distributed".

  If you're providing "network services" to customers and not
distributing software using a GPL license it may as well be BSD or
something else with a weak copyleft.

  Under the AGPL providing network services to customers is
essentially equal to distributing binaries under the GPL.  In my
hypothetical situation above if FreeSWITCH were licensed under the
AGPL I would be required to distribute my  source changes to my
customers even though I never provided them with a binary.

  Of course (under both licenses) once I distribute the binary and
source to my customers I might as well distribute it to the rest of
the world because are free to do so anyway...

On Wed, Jan 12, 2011 at 10:11 AM, Brian West <brian at freeswitch.org> wrote:
> AGPL is the most evil license you can ever pick for anything... its the one that reaches over the socket and steals your code and soul.
>
> /b
>

-- 
Kristian Kielhofner
http://www.astlinux.org
http://blog.krisk.org
http://www.star2star.com
http://www.submityoursip.com
http://www.voalte.com



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