Microsoft bans GPLv3 open-source software from Windows Phone and Xbox apps
Summary: Microsoft has banned GPLv3 open-source software from Windows Phone and Xbox apps, according to Jan Wildeboer, an open source evangelist and Red Hat employee.
Microsoft has banned GPLv3 open-source software from Windows Phone and Xbox apps, according to Jan Wildeboer, an open source evangelist and Red Hat employee.
Wildeboer is unimpressed:
This is rather uncool, IMHO, I stumbled upon this forum entry and was quite astonished. It points to the Microsoft Application Provider Agreement that governs the Windows Marketplace, the App Store where users can get apps and developers publish them.
The devil's in the Application Requirements documentation:
e. The Application must not include software, documentation, or other materials that, in whole or in part, are governed by or subject to an Excluded License, or that would otherwise cause the Application to be subject to the terms of an Excluded License.
Hmm, "Excluded License"? What does that mean? More digging through the license:
"Excluded License" means any license requiring, as a condition of use, modification and/or distribution of the software subject to the license, that the software or other software combined and/or distributed with it be (i) disclosed or distributed in source code form; (ii) licensed for the purpose of making derivative works; or (iii) redistributable at no charge. Excluded Licenses include, but are not limited to the GPLv3 Licenses. For the purpose of this definition, "GPLv3 Licenses" means the GNU General Public License version 3, the GNU Affero General Public License version 3, the GNU Lesser General Public License version 3, and any equivalents to the foregoing.
In other words, GPLv3, LGPLv3, Affero GPLv3 licenses are excluded.
Why has Microsoft chosen to do this? According to Wildeboer the reasons are pretty clear:
The consequences of this strange exclusion are not fully clear to me as I am not a lawyer. But one thing is extremely obvious. Microsoft wants to keep its platform clear of Free Software. Period.
Seems like that to me too.
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Talkback
RE: Microsoft bans GPLv3 open-source software from Windows Phone and Xbox apps
RE: Microsoft bans GPLv3 open-source software from Windows Phone and Xbox apps
RE: Microsoft bans GPLv3 open-source software from Windows Phone and Xbox apps
But is it incorrect? GPLv3 (or any licensing agreement) involves legal issues that a company may not want to deal with.
Wrong, choyongpil
Just don't place your code under GPLv3 and you're fine.
RE: Microsoft bans GPLv3 open-source software from Windows Phone and Xbox apps
RE: Microsoft bans GPLv3 open-source software from Windows Phone and Xbox apps
This is also standard practice at Oracle and Apple, BTW.
The process is called "Remediation".
Now you understand why one cannot get access to the sources to the "Aqua" GUI in OS X?
Even though they'll publish the rest a la BSD License...
I guess that's true
AllKnowingAllSeeing may know, but will he tell?
(The Big Guy has been known to keep things to himself from time to time )
But that's true, maybe LD gets paid by MS, you and a few others get paid by Apple to post here, and DB an DTS maybe from Google, or something.
So you're all paid shill, so all of you go away!
RE: Microsoft bans GPLv3 open-source software from Windows Phone and Xbox apps
No not paid by Apple, Just a contractor for Uncle Sam.
My comments are my own personal opinion and do not represent the position of my employer.
RE: Microsoft bans GPLv3 open-source software from Windows Phone and Xbox apps
"What is a Red Hat employee doing surfing on WP7 and Xbox forums?"
Brilliant!
Nothing brilliant about it......
@Loverock Davidson
"Excluded Licenses include, but are not limited to the GPLv3 Licenses"
This means that any open source licence, including all GPL, Apache, BSD, etc... can be banned.
This is nothing more than another move to try and keep their slowly decaying market. How desperate can Microsoft get? If they had a good product that would compete, they wouldn't need to result to such devious means.
RE: Microsoft bans GPLv3 open-source software from Windows Phone and Xbox apps
You're damn right I am!
RE: Microsoft bans GPLv3 open-source software from Windows Phone and Xbox apps
M$ lost it's last chance to reddem itself by embracing GPL!
Now it's up to the courts to strike down this agreement.
M$ censorship is against our constitutional rights.
RE: Microsoft bans GPLv3 open-source software from Windows Phone and Xbox apps
RE: Microsoft bans GPLv3 open-source software from Windows Phone and Xbox apps
What constitutional right would that be?
@ MichaelWells
Life, Liberty, Free Stuff, and the Pursuit of Happiness are our freedoms.
Duh.
RE: Microsoft bans GPLv3 open-source software from Windows Phone and Xbox apps
Constitutional right? For who?
Statements without evidence equals tripe
Such As???
What do they have to avoid. All they have to do is stick to they're own code. Heck they stole Gary Kildall's code and made DOS but he was too small to have a voice, so that's ok then.
RE: Microsoft bans GPLv3 open-source software from Windows Phone and Xbox apps
Sorry, no dark motives :-)
Jan Wildeboer
RE: Microsoft bans GPLv3 open-source software from Windows Phone and Xbox apps
so you say, I'm watching you ;) Just kidding :)
LOL