[Asterisk-Users] Help with GPL license of Asterisk

[Chris Albertson]

--- costas  <costas at meezon.com> wrote:
> I would appreciate some help with this. I read the GPL license and
> basically it says you can do whatever you want with the software
> (sell, modify) as long as you include the source code, the License
> and make any changes you make available in the same manner to all
> others.
> 
> My questions is this: If I develop an external application (say a
> Call Center application or a GUI management application) that uses
> Asterisk data is that also GPLd? I understand if I add code to
> Asterisk, but what about external interfaces?



On the www.fsf.org web site, the author of the GPL says...

Please send inquiries about GNU and the FSF to

        Free Software Foundation           Voice:  +1-617-542-5942
        59 Temple Place - Suite 330        Fax:    +1-617-542-2652
        Boston, MA  02111-1307,  USA       E-Mail: gnu at gnu.org

This is the only way to get the "real answer".

The ay Iread it is  if your application is "stand alone" in that you
could run it without the GPL'd Asterisk PBX then you are OK.  But if
your application depends so much on Asterisk that it could not be made
to work with any other PBX then it must be coverd by GPL.  This test is
spelled out in the GPL.  One way to be 100% certain is to make your
application "talk" to asterisk through an interface library with the
idea being that "someday" you could write another libray to support a
second PBX.  Only the libray need to GPL'd.




Why not GPL your application?  You are using both GNU/Linux and
Asterisk
If yu had some issue with GPL I assume you'd not want to use those so
why not cover yur software with GPL?

> 
> Where is the seperation here of the Cathedral and the Bazaar?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> --
> Costas Menico
> Meezon Software Corp
> 201-224-8111
> costas at meezon.com
> 
> --
> _______________________________________________
> Asterisk-Users mailing list
> Asterisk-Users at lists.digium.com
> http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users


=====
Chris Albertson
  Home:   310-376-1029  chrisalbertson90278 at yahoo.com
  Cell:   310-990-7550
  Office: 310-336-5189  Christopher.J.Albertson at aero.org
  KG6OMK

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