GPL

[Les Mikesell]

tony.chamberlain at lemko.com wrote:
> 
> If for instance you use CentOS and MySql and TomCat and do development
> with them, and you make a product which uses them, and you want to sell
> this product, what do you need to do?

Depending on how you use MySql, you probably have to license your 
product under the GPL.  If you used postgresql instead it would not be 
an issue.

> From what I understand, it is OK if you sell the product as long as you 
> give them the source code for it?

If you are forced to use the GPL, you also cannot restrict 
redistribution so your customers will be permitted to give away copies.

 > Is that true?  Or would it just be source code for
> MySql, Tomcat, Linux?  And you have to provide them the same notices?

The GPL applies to the 'work as a whole' although the OS itself is 
normally not considered a part of an application.

> And you can't modify anything?

You can modify everything, and so can everyone else.

> Is this right, or do you also need licenses?  It just wasn't clear to me.

> If I decide to make a product using things like MySql I want to be sure 
> I am doing it correctly.

MySql also has a commercial license if you don't want to release your 
product under the GPL.  But again, postgresql, apache and tomcat do not 
have the GPL restrictions and there is no problem building commercial 
applications with them.

-- 
   Les Mikesell
    lesmikesell at gmail.com