From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00, REPLYTO_WITHOUT_TO_CC autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 Path: eternal-september.org!reader01.eternal-september.org!reader02.eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: "G.B." Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: why is java so widespread when ada is free? makes 0 sense Date: Sat, 24 Sep 2016 10:37:12 +0200 Organization: A noiseless patient Spider Message-ID: References: <866e6e94-6e49-4b73-8840-9d0987254253@googlegroups.com> <621e5847-240e-4b6f-8a2a-8ee0820823a2@googlegroups.com> <0977f4cc-53ab-4ce6-aca2-7cb7aa059fdd@googlegroups.com> <41d172af-40f3-4e03-879a-9d335d2f1ecf@googlegroups.com> <1e53d3d5-1560-45cc-b3fa-820402cf332c@googlegroups.com> <27d172c3-de26-4b4e-8660-d6f12e2e1349@googlegroups.com> Reply-To: nonlegitur@futureapps.de Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Injection-Date: Sat, 24 Sep 2016 08:37:04 -0000 (UTC) Injection-Info: mx02.eternal-september.org; posting-host="210b687a41a8473716f931da994f236f"; logging-data="18274"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX19d25qeZnTIU2Yn+/tv9qvt84nsmNvV5e0=" User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10.9; rv:45.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/45.2.0 In-Reply-To: Cancel-Lock: sha1:GB4EQL0yhxr4UtZJRzemO/ZIvGo= Xref: news.eternal-september.org comp.lang.ada:31869 Date: 2016-09-24T10:37:12+02:00 List-Id: On 24.09.16 09:30, polymorph self wrote: > Can I use a free ada compiler to create a website that I can own and sell? > yes or no? To know whether you own or can sell X, you need to known what X is, precisely, and also about how you are allowed to use all of X's parts, precisely. And what "use" means, precisely, and what "free" is to mean. And whether you care about being sued or not, of course. Welcome to business decision making. Advice is not usually free, only the law is, except for the money spent directly or indirectly on obtaining the text of the law. Or maybe of agreements where there is no inclusive law, such as in international trade. Still, lawyers' services are as free as those of business advisors. Business advisors' services are as free as programmers' services. Programmers cannot normally work for free. So, even most free software, in every sense of the word, is somehow funded ("bought", not for free). There is a scenario that lets you use GPLed software, build a service by "adding" the software to your own software, and sell something, such as a certain kind of output produced by the combined software. If you use GNAT GPL edition to build a web service for adding two numbers and outputting the result, and if all other software you combine with yours is GPLed, too, then you can still sell the output of that numeric addition program as part of the service, without needing to show the program's sources. However, selling the whole program as opposed to its service is a different matter. Anyway, AdaCore reminds you that GNAT GPL edition is not meant for commercial use. A slightly different scenario lets you use licensed software, including GPLicensed software, in an exceptional way, provided that the exceptions are those stated in the software license. FSF GNAT carries one such exception added to the GPL, and it applies to the very FSF GNAT that you can obtain in some way. This scenario may let you sell a closed source product. In any case, I assume that the sale of programs or licenses will heavily involve contract law, too. But, IANAL. -- "HOTDOGS ARE NOT BOOKMARKS" Springfield Elementary teaching staff