Trash Talk - Liscencing for nonprofit academic gain Helicon - Mon Sep 22, 2003 8:23 pm Post subject: Liscencing for nonprofit academic gain
Hello experienced programmers....
(others exit stage left... oops me too)
I am writing (and have been, hence the long absence) a 3dimensional relational database rendering and browsing engine in J3D (explanation requests welcome). I don't particularly care to make money from it, though i would like to see it reach its absolute full potential. My skills as a performance-dripping bit muncher are next to nonexistent, and i don't have much energy for porting the engine to OpenGL. I would however, very much like to realease it publicly.
I am tempted (as many before have been) to tack on the GPL and let loose. However, I am concerned with liscencing and my own grad education (this might look damn good on an application). I have also considered the Lesser GPL. Quite honestly, i can't claim any more affinity for the propaganda of the FSF site than anywhere else.
I guess what I'v looking for is the elder geeks' takes on the GPL, and what it does and doesn't do for the software.
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Mine GO BOOM - Mon Sep 22, 2003 9:51 pm Post subject:
If you plan on never making money from it, GPL is the way to go. You get credit for it, but anyone can use it, even in closed-source projects, and even then they may not give you any credit what so ever.
If you plan on maybe using it for future money-making methods, the LGPL may not be for you. It does limit its usage a bit, but the problem is, you would probably never be able to sue anyone if they didn't use it correctly, as it would be a huge waste of money on your part.
My recommendation would be: how much do you care about it? If you think of these as your pet project, and want to use it privately in the future, then you might not want to release it to the public. If you like your project, but think it isn't that great, but its cool, then release it to the public. Its not likely that Half-Life 3 would be using your software, but its neat to see your mark in other people's projects every so often. I know I do. Its neat looking over someone's sources, and seeing parts of your own (maybe even copy/pasted directly) in there. But if you are not in it for the spotlight, then the GPL is good.
Or just post it up, and who cares about the GPL. Its doubtful someone would even use your project for anything remotely related to money. That was my logic, though it maybe false.