[Asterisk-Users] GPL thoughts

[Ronald Wiplinger]

On Tuesday 26 October 2004 12:33, Adam Hart wrote:
> Remember the requirements of GPL is regarding distribution, not use, you
> can do what ever you like with it internally, with no requirement to
> publish it. Config files being GPL doesn't really make sense as you
> would only ever be distributing them as they are anyway (not compiling
> them)
>
> GPL in a simple sense (feeling free to correct me on this) is "if you
> give some the binary of software containing source under GPL, you must
> also give them the source"


Thanks Adam!

Now lets think one step further.

If we add a patch for the program to read some of the configuration files, 
which are encrypted. This patch would be brought back to the open source 
community and if they accept it, it could be implemented. If they don't you 
still can get the patch from other places.

The patch opens with a key the encrypted file and checks against the 
registration server if the script is licensed to the customer. If yes, 
everthing is ok,  if not than the system can still use the script for demo 
purposes for one hour.

What is with that thought?

Note that I changed the word from configuration file to "script", which could 
be an external program, called by the configuration file.

bye

Ronald

>
> -Adam
>
> Ronald Wiplinger wrote:
> > I have just a quick question:
> >
> > Are the configuration files are covered from GPL ???
> >
> > I doubt so, but would like to make sure. The configuration files
> > (/etc/asterisk/* ) include passwords, which I hardly would like that it
> > must be public ;-)
> >
> > My thinking is to get my work somehow paid, by creating special
> > configuration files for special solutions.
>
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-- 
Ronald Wiplinger
Senior Software Engineer
AGP Telecom Co. Ltd.
Tel. (O) +886-2-2741-7890 # 7303, (M) +886-939-77-55-16
(from USA dial (408)253-3153 # 7303)

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