Re: Must Joomla Extensions all be GNU/GPL? Have your say.
Posted 17 years 4 months ago
Daniel Chapman wrote:
Thanks Joseph, I will take that as a compliment. It was actually originally my idea.
So simple but aren't the best solutions simple ones?
Looking forward to your contributions.
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Re: Must Joomla Extensions all be GNU/GPL? Have your say.
Posted 17 years 4 months ago
The bridge is certainly technically feasible, but it has one massive drawback:
Joomla -> XML-RPC/Ajax Bridge -> PServer
PServer is "P"roprietary Server.
What are you going to write PServer in. I've just invested a "lot" of hours learning Joomla! 1.5 and now you tell me I have to learn a second framework? That's the biggest issue. The second issue is the poor old user has to now install two CMS's to run their site. And finally debugging client-server stuff is a cow! It will impact development time and it's one more "part" that can go wrong when installed on the client. Academically possible, but not terribly practical.
But, where that would be useful is where PServer is on "your" site and is giving you some sort of additional service. Like most of the UI runs locally, but say you have a few wizards, they actually "call home" to do the work there and send the answer. That would be a good use case.
Andrew Eddie
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Re: Must Joomla Extensions all be GNU/GPL? Have your say.
Posted 17 years 4 months ago
I didn't do much reasearch into it, because I am not -that- interested in encrypted code.
I suggested an lgpl component that took the core joomla functions and output them in an api format. Then you make a generic framwork from the ground up to interpret that make your aps into plugins for that lgpl 'shield' if you will.
Andrew, you aren't making commercial apps either so don't worry about needing to learn another framwork.
It would only be for those who -need- a commercial and non gpl solution.
I was merely offering the devs solution ideas to keep everyone from jumping ship.
I also suggested java admin consoles, wrapped content, providing services as opposed to products and several others. We got quite a thread going on both how to make gpl money, or keep part of the code non gpl.
p.s. SMF just removed their bridge :0 (it could be back though i don't know.)
Only the joomla hacks one remains.
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Re: Must Joomla Extensions all be GNU/GPL? Have your say.
Posted 17 years 4 months ago
Daniel Chapman wrote:
Andrew, you aren't making commercial apps either so don't worry about needing to learn another framwork.
Yeah, I know. I was just sharing my thought processes. The trouble is you have a perfectly good Joomla! framework to work from. I'm not sure the return on investment would be there *and* it would require a collaborative effort across many developers to make it work. For each dev to do their own bridge would be a real waste.
The way I see it you have three broad camps:
A. Proprietary closed source (encoded)
B. Proprietary open source
C. GPL open source
Consider this. A is gives the greatest freedom to the dev, but the least to the customer. What happens when they go out of business? Timely patch support is crucial. Operating environment is an issue, and so on. But at least [we assume] people can't copy your work because it's locked to a domain.
B and C are more or less exactly the same. There is no copy protection except through legal recourse. For B is via license, for C there are creative ways to do it through non-source mechanisms. But I would argue, only the more established businesses can afford to proceed with legal action.
So, except for A, which I personally think is a really bad way to go, B and C are in the same boat when considering the warez sites, etc. Allowing "A" also allows that dev to take any of the open code from B and C and "cheat" purely for profit. And since escrow agents cost dollars, that option is not going to happen, especially by the dishonest ones.
So what this boils down to is you have to be serious to play in the commercial market. You have to do your homework, you have to put a lot on the line and don't expect it to be a money tree for at least the first 2 years ... if you make it that long. It's going to be interesting to watch what happens next.
Andrew Eddie
<><
The Art of Joomla - A Joomla Magazine -
www.theartofjoomla.com
JXtended - Empowering the Web - jxtended.com
Re: Must Joomla Extensions all be GNU/GPL? Have your say.
Posted 17 years 4 months ago
The real problem is that the SMF bridge *can't* be GPL'ed because it contains SMF code and SMF has a proprietary license. It's going to be a tough problem. It is most unfortunate because Orstio put so much effort into getting the bridge ready for v 1.5 and recently completed it. Very frustrating.
One thing for folks thinking of ways around the GPL through bridges and AJAX and xml-rpc and whatnot. I think we can be fairly certain that at some point only GPL compatible extensions will be listed on the JED. So, it might be tough to get a customer base outside of the JED. Just something to think about.
Re: Must Joomla Extensions all be GNU/GPL? Have your say.
Posted 17 years 4 months ago
There are a few sites which cover many of the free Joomla extensions already.
I guess they will be getting more traffic.
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Re: Must Joomla Extensions all be GNU/GPL? Have your say.
Posted 17 years 4 months ago
Joseph Halleck wrote:
There are a few sites which cover many of the free Joomla extensions already.
I guess they will be getting more traffic.
lol! Well, that's probably true. People like Orstio, though, will not likely distribute software that violates Joomla!'s license. He has too much integrity to do that.
In six months, we will have things smoothed out. This is a challenge, but not something that cannot be overcome. I've had 25 years in IT and seen lots of changes - one of my first jobs (hate to admit it) was replacing card deck input with TSO files. Things change and people adapt. It's not always fun but sometimes the most difficult changes I have faced in life brought real growth and reward.