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All commercial extensions & templates available for Joomla are now open source?

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    • GollumX's Avatar
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    Re: All commercial extensions & templates available for Joomla are now open source?

    Posted 17 years 10 months ago
    • camelgrass wrote:
      As he posted before, Andy now strongly supports GPL as the way forward for Joomla!. If GPL is "the only path" and "there are many ways to create a viable business around commercial GPL extensions" why doesn't Andy go beyond just RocketWerx and apply it to RocketTheme as well?

      I know that he doesn't have to "legally" because of the GPL, but that isn't really the point. It would a strong demonstration of belief in the value and values of open source. Depending on your point of view, templates may or may not be considered software. That point doesn't matter anyway because the GPL can be applied to other things than just "software".

      sorry camelgrass, but that is just ridiculous. besides, andy has more than paid his dues to the community and continues to do so. for you to suggest he throw away his livelihood as well is crazytalk. he has a family to feed.
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    • Marty F's Avatar
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    Re: All commercial extensions & templates available for Joomla are now open source?

    Posted 17 years 10 months ago
    • Extension developers have families too you know.
      "throw away his livelihood"

      So there are viable business models around commercial GPL extensions but not for commercial Joomla! templates if you decided to license them GPL?
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    Re: All commercial extensions & templates available for Joomla are now open source?

    Posted 17 years 10 months ago
    #73267

  • Re: All commercial extensions & templates available for Joomla are now open source?

    Posted 17 years 10 months ago
    #73270

  • Re: All commercial extensions & templates available for Joomla are now open source?

    Posted 17 years 10 months ago
    • All you have to do to defeat the GPL is develop a function library and then encrypt it, lock it to a domain, whatever. That will save future extensions from GPL zealots.

      However, I don't know how to save current extensions. These seem doomed. The Joomla core should have given extension authors an exemption for current extensions and applied the GPL only to future extensions. That would have been fair. They had the authority to do so under Point 10 of the GPL.

      Someone needs to post an extension to the Joomla extensions site showing exactly what tools are needed to defeat the GPL, how to do the encryption, and so on. A model is always useful, but moreover, It would make a useful statement.

      I'm glad Marko resigned. It was the right thing to do.

      Roger
    • Last Edit: 17 years 10 months ago by Roger Davis.
    #73276

  • Re: All commercial extensions & templates available for Joomla are now open source?

    Posted 17 years 10 months ago
    • Interestingly, if you read the GPL, it states that:

      "Activities other than copying, distribution and modification are not covered by this License; they are outside its scope. The act of running the Program is not restricted, and the output from the Program is covered only if its contents constitute a work based on the Program (independent of having been made by running the Program). Whether that is true depends on what the Program does."

      So you can copy, distribute, and modify a program for free. But you can't run it for free, and the license explicitly states that. So, just bundle another license with your program that restricts the running of the code. The license needs to state something like, "You can run the code, but only if you pay me and only me. If you modify the code in accordance with the GPL, or distribute the code as free software, you agree to still pay me and only me to run the code."

      Anyone who modifies the code for your extension and distributes it is in fact creating copies that you'll have to be paid for, even if the code is improved by others. Doesn't matter whether they downloaded it from.

      That turns the GPL into an interesting money making machine, whereby many developers can improve an extension in accordance with the GPL, and yet the original developer, and only the original developer, would still get paid for their idea.

      So just develop a commercial license for running your code...it's your right to do so as explicitly disclaimed by the GPL. That commercial license covers running your code, while the GPL ensures that others who improve your code are in fact creating copies you'll get paid for.

      Roger
    • Last Edit: 17 years 10 months ago by Roger Davis.
    #73308

  • Re: All commercial extensions & templates available for Joomla are now open source?

    Posted 17 years 10 months ago
    • Have you thought of posting on the Joomla! forums, there is lots of dicussions of new models are practises to exist with the "new" status of the license?

      Your suggestions may be met well :)
    • James Spencer / Developer & Support / Hull, UK
    #73309

  • Re: All commercial extensions & templates available for Joomla are now open source?

    Posted 17 years 10 months ago
    • A good idea Roger, but the problem with that is enforcement.

      A lot of them use ioncube to partially encrypt their source code and hook it to a single domain. If you couldn't do that then there is no way to enforce that license except by chasing people and suing.

      However you could make the source available to people who applied for it and not int eh default bundle. hmm.


      As for the bridge, there is a universal one being worked on already. ;)
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  • Re: All commercial extensions & templates available for Joomla are now open source?

    Posted 17 years 10 months ago
    • Yup, you're right. So you'd still have to encrypt functions that don't depend on Joomla and put them in a function library independent of the GPL under your proprietary license.
    #73327
    • GollumX's Avatar
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    Re: All commercial extensions & templates available for Joomla are now open source?

    Posted 17 years 10 months ago
    • camelgrass wrote:
      Extension developers have families too you know.
      "throw away his livelihood"

      So there are viable business models around commercial GPL extensions but not for commercial Joomla! templates if you decided to license them GPL?

      YUP!! There are ten thousand times more (wannabe) designers than there are coders. For example, were RT themes GPL, 90% of the members here could modify and resell them or distribute them free. However, only a handful could modify and resell the GPL extensions Andy builds.
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