RE: [Xen-users] Xen License

["Jonathan Tripathy" <jonnyt@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

 

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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

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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

 

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