I am developing a embedded system (computer + os + programs) to sell it to a company.
I am confused about the licensing and the softwares I wanted to use to develop the system.So I want to know if I can use these programs free of charge and without distributing the source code for commercial use.I wanted to use:
- A linux distro o custom linux build:I thought Arch Linux
- A Web Server + PHP + MySQL: I thought XAMMP,they says that is free of charge for commercial use but I don't know if the components are also.
- A QT backend and frontend,but I don't know if I can use the LGPL version for commercial use or I need to use the Commercial License.
- jQuery (I saw that if I maintain the notice,I can use it)
Thanks for your response
Best Answer
I can't give legal advice, but I can point you at some starting points:
First, if you are shipping GPL software such as Linux, you cannot escape the obligation to offer source. For a detailed breakdown of your obligations, read A Practical Guide to GPL Compliance. Many companies ship embedded Linux systems while complying with these guidelines.
One important point is that to comply with these licenses you need to know what packages you ship, and be prepared in advance for a source code request. There is no substitute for building a list of all software you plan to distribute, including packages incidentally installed as part of the Linux distribution, and reading each license.
For most of the open-source licenses, commercial use is not a relevant distinction. Item 6 of the Open Source Definition is that an open source license should not discriminate based on field of endeavor. Most open source licenses follow this rule (except for JSON, assuming that evil is a field of endeavor).
The LGPL packages have conflicting interpretations for embedded systems. Under the Webkit interpretation it is sufficient to offer source code, but under the Mono/QT interpretation it is also necessary to provide the end-user with the ability to rebuild the package and install the new version on to the embedded system. Obviously each side has a strong commercial reason for its opinion.