WARNING - OLD ARCHIVES

This is an archived copy of the Xen.org mailing list, which we have preserved to ensure that existing links to archives are not broken. The live archive, which contains the latest emails, can be found at http://lists.xen.org/
   
 
 
Xen 
 
Home Products Support Community News
 
   
 

xen-users

RE: [Xen-users] Xen License

To: "Simon Hobson" <linux@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, <Xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: RE: [Xen-users] Xen License
From: "Jonathan Tripathy" <jonnyt@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 12:03:50 +0100
Cc:
Delivery-date: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 04:07:20 -0700
Envelope-to: www-data@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
List-help: <mailto:xen-users-request@lists.xensource.com?subject=help>
List-id: Xen user discussion <xen-users.lists.xensource.com>
List-post: <mailto:xen-users@lists.xensource.com>
List-subscribe: <http://lists.xensource.com/mailman/listinfo/xen-users>, <mailto:xen-users-request@lists.xensource.com?subject=subscribe>
List-unsubscribe: <http://lists.xensource.com/mailman/listinfo/xen-users>, <mailto:xen-users-request@lists.xensource.com?subject=unsubscribe>
References: <883322342.4837508.1276122236699.JavaMail.root@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> <p0624080fc8363a773363@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sender: xen-users-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thread-index: AcsIivfsgVO2dcPjTfieBEkoYgyBAQAAaNM6
Thread-topic: [Xen-users] Xen License
 


From: xen-users-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx on behalf of Simon Hobson
Sent: Thu 10/06/2010 07:51
To: Xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Xen-users] Xen License

greno@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
>This sounds like more Microsoft-reseller scaremongering.  But you do
>need to be aware of the licenses for any software that you intend to
>sell/offer/provide/support for your customers.  A lot of distros are
>GPL / BSD / etc.  and some are commercial offerings such as RedHat /
>Suse.  If you want someone backing you up, it can often pay to use a
>commercial offering.

Even Debian (which takes a very 'pure' view of things either being
free and open - or not in Debian) has the option of installing
non-free components. That isn't enabled by default, but they are
there.
If software is under GPL or BSD, then no-one can stop you offering a
service based from it, stop you charging for that service, or charge
you for the priviledge. But there are non-free elements in some
distros (or other bits you get from elsewhere) that you may need to
be aware of - and for some of those (Fraunhofer and MP3 come to mind)
a fee may be payable to a third party for a patent licence).

But that's a far cry from the implied threat that started this thread
- which sounded very much like an MS droid claiming that MS needs
their tax before it's legal to run Linux.

--
Simon Hobson


http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

But surly if I'm only offering the basic distro, it is up to my customer to pay for any non-free software, right?

Of course all Linux distro allow you to install non-free software, however it's ok for my customers to do it, isn't it?

Thanks

 

_______________________________________________
Xen-users mailing list
Xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users
<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>