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Hi,
I've read tons of threads concerning the topic of LGPL, OEM, Commercial... and I'm still confused... there I admit it :)
The concern is, if I build a web app using VWG Studio Express edition, deploy the app on 1 (ONE) server/site and charge customers a monthly fee to use it, will I have to make "My Precious" source code available to my subscribers (users)? Think about it, If you are one of my subscribers and saw, "License Open Source - Download all my source code", you would download the source code, and immediately end your subscription to the service, right?
So, set me straight (and everyone else who's in my boat)....
If I use VWG Studio Express edition do I:
A) Put "License Open Source - Download all my source code" on my web application and go out of business a month later because all my subscribers download my entire application source code and are now competing with me, with my own app?
B) Put "This Application uses Gizmox LGPL WebGUI Library" on my web application and put a link to only VWG Studio Express edition so that the users can download it (VWG Studio Express Edition), BUT I don't have to make my application source available?
C) None of the above? Don't use VWG Studio Express Edition if you're not willing to share your entire source code even though you only used the Gizmox dll's (changing none of Gizmox source code, which I think is referred to as dynamic linking since I'm only using the dll's, right?). Forget my subscription app idea and find another way to make beer money :)
Please set me straight. I like the framework, but I'm not sure what to do.
When answering, please specify A, B, or C (if I have to give away all my source, or only provide a link to the Gizmox VWG Studio Express Edition dll's / SDK Souce, which i'm not changing in anyway, only linking to the Gizmox dll's. )
I know I've repeated the same question over and over in this post, but I guess I figure if I keep repeating it, sooner or later it will all make sense to me :)
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| Re: LGPL Once and for ALL |
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Hi snelson,
Welcome to Visual WebGui
I do not think the forum threads are the best place to reach a conclution on these matters, as you have experienced yourself. Those threads are lengthy and not at all easy to follow.
However, what is discussed there has more of less been aggregated to a specific FAQ section that you can find here. And to respond to your answer requirement of A, B or C, then I quote this FAQ:
Q: What obligations do I have with licensing my applications / products when I use Visual WebGui LGPL licensed products such as SDK or Express Studio?
A: You may license your application / products to your users under whatever license you choose provided that the Visual WebGui library and code within the combined work are licensed to your end user organization as open source LGPL and that you notify your combined work application end user organization that it contains Visual WebGui Copyrighted open source library and code and you must maintain Visual WebGui copyright LGPL waiver.
This would make it pretty obvious that the answer would be B, right ?
Please view the FAQ section as I'm sure it will set you straight in much of your confusion.
Hope this helps,
Palli
Páll Björnsson -
Visual WebGui support team - Email: support@visualwebgui.com |
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| Re: LGPL Once and for ALL |
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Palli, in the case the op mentioned, the OEM/SaaS license might kick in, right?
http://www.visualwebgui.com/tabid/608/Default.aspx
He said "if I build a web app using VWG Studio Express edition, deploy the app on 1 (ONE) server/site and charge customers a monthly fee to use it"
The op does not detail who his customers are, but supposing they consist of 5 companies with assorted number of users. That fits the SaaS definition in the license above, correct?
I know you did answer his question about LGPL. This is an 'extra' question.
If I recall (and it's been a while) the OEM/SaaS license involved virtually partnering with gizmox, revenue sharing or something like that. If my impression is correct, it's a pretty unusual condition, and one I'm not too keen on. Can you correct or comfirm my impression? |
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| Re: LGPL Once and for ALL |
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I'm probably ignorant of all the details, but I'm going to offer a perspective anyway. 
This arrangement is the best arrangement I have ever seen for a development tool.
Bottom line: zero cost of entry when trying to evaluate and build a first app. With all the time I need to make that happen.
Beyond that: if you do deploy something commercially, and you're deriving revenue from it, why wouldn't you forget Free/LGPL, buy a Professional License, and give the company the revenue they earn/deserve/need to keep this great product going?
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| Re: LGPL Once and for ALL |
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Hi Frank
I agree with your perspective re licensing pro. But I don't think you read what I wrote.
I wasn't asking why gizmox has a paid version (vwg pro). I was asking for clarification re the use case the op mentioned, which sounds a it might likely fall into the vwg SaaS licensing scenario. That's not even about LGPL, the op's topic. Palli answered that question. My question is different.
As I understood it a while back, if your vwg application is used by five or more companies then you need to get a OEM/SaaS license. The terms of that license, as I understood them in the past, were that you had to revenue share with gizmox. That is, if I make $10 with my service, $1 or something has to go to Gizmox. I just never felt comfortable with that kind of partnering arragement, it's way too involved. It's not at all like the simple scenario you mentioned where you pay a fee for the pro version and that's it.
All that was made clear in the first post I made. I was asking Palli if my understanding was correct, or not. |
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