... but you really need to understand the ramifications to know for sure.
If you use GPL in your commercial system, be sure that you can discontinue the use if it turns out that your understanding of the licensing requirements were mistaken. Or hire a lawyer who's also a programmer. Or a programmer who's also a lawyer.
For example: If you let someone use your software over the web, have you "distributed" it to them? GPL 2 says "no" (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#UnreleasedMods), GPL 3 says "yes". What happens to you if some software changes the license version? And will a court uphold the GPL 3 interpretation? (Nobody can say for sure)
So, as an IT-manager, GPL software in production software is banned as far as I am concerned. Special considerations apply - we use (commercial) Linux as an OS and I have no problems with GCC. But if Apache was GPL, we probably wouldn't use it.
Discussion on:
Message 6 of 1
The best of ZDNet, delivered
ZDNet Newsletters
Get the best of ZDNet delivered straight to your inbox
