some questions about open source

[medya]

hey I am a bit confused about open source, let me ask some questions.

ubuntu is open source, there is a prgram on it called "sticky note"


1-can I get Sticky Note's Source codes ? (if yes where)

2-can I change "sticky note"s code and publish an enhanced version of it ?

3- if I make an ehnaced version of sticky note, will ubuntu continue using my Sticky note , instead of their Sticky note ?

4- can I make a copy right on my Ehnaced Sticky note and not give it away for free anymore ?

hm....

5- can I make my own ubuntu ?
6-if I do , will it be Shipped to ppl for for free too ?

[tribaal]

Answers... :)

1-can I get Sticky Note's Source codes ? (if yes where)
Yes. the GPL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html) makes it compulsory to realease sources. I don't know exactly were, but they have to release their source code.

2-can I change "sticky note"s code and publish an enhanced version of it ?
Yes. As long as credit to the original work is given. It is also good practice to tell the original authors what you're doing.

3- if I make an ehnaced version of sticky note, will ubuntu continue using my Sticky note , instead of their Sticky note ?
Well... it all depends if you contribute to the original software or make your own bundle of it... But basically, you should inform Ubuntu your package exists, and it's up to them to add it or not in the standard repos. You can always make that available online and provides link to other ubuntu users, though =)

4- can I make a copy right on my Ehnaced Sticky note and not give it away for free anymore ?
No. The GPL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html) does not let you close the source.
However, you're allowed to package your program and distribute it (charge for the packaging, support, etc...), but you will have to include the source code and a copy of the GPL with it.
In short, it can be non-free (as in free beer), but never non-free (as in freedom) :) English is really not adapted to free software, it's much easier to understand in French, for example, where we use two different words for free: gratuit and libre.

5- can I make my own ubuntu ?
Well you can pretty easily make your own linux (http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/)... You can even start with an Ubuntu base. But then it would just be another distro, not really "ubuntu".

6-if I do , will it be Shipped to ppl for for free too ?
Well shipping can be charged for, just like packaging can. Ubuntu decided to ship free CDs, but it's not an obligation, really. The point is, you cannot charge for the code, but you can charge for it's distribution, packaging and support (it's a service you provide to people and you can charge for it).

Hope this answers your questions... :)

- trib'

[Buffalo Soldier]

hey I am a bit confused about open source, let me ask some questions.

ubuntu is open source, there is a prgram on it called "sticky note"

1- can I get Sticky Note's Source codes ? (if yes where)Yes. From the repository and perhaps here (http://freshmeat.net/projects/snotes/).

2- can I change "sticky note"s code and publish an enhanced version of it ?From my understanding of the GPL, yes.

3- if I make an ehnaced version of sticky note, will ubuntu continue using my Sticky note , instead of their Sticky note ?If your enhance is deem good/worthy enough.

4- can I make a copy right on my Ehnaced Sticky note and not give it away for free anymore ?Under the GPL, you can not do that.

5- can I make my own ubuntu ?You can make your own distro from Ubuntu or any other distro. But you can't use the same name for your distro. The name is under copyright.

6- if I do, will it be Shipped to ppl for for free too ?It's up to you how you want to distribute it. But I don't think Cannonical would ship other peoples/company distro.

[Bloch]

5- can I make my own ubuntu ?
Yes, this has already happened.
The Mepis distribution is now based on Ubuntu. They add their own bits to it - non-free codecs etc. But each time ubuntu updates its software Mepis will use the new software available.
Ubuntu in turn is based on Debian, and in accordance with GPL is fully entitled to do so. And if Ubuntu corrects and improves any software Debian in turn can make use of those changes.
Though as a matter of habit or courtesy the major development of each piece of software is in the hands of the development team, who are usually independent of any distribution. The version of software which has not been tinkered with to blend in with any particular distribution is called the "vanilla version"

[asimon]

4- can I make a copy right on my Ehnaced Sticky note and not give it away for free anymore ?

Als was already said, you can sell the software for money (even if you didn't changed anything), but have to give away the source code too. And a costomer of your software can itself give the software including source code away for free or change the software. This is all granted by the GPL.

Regarding copyright. The code you write yourself is automatically copyrighted by you, usually the copyright laws in most country automatically come in action here. There are projects which require that you transfer your copyright to some entity before they include any code from you. For example it's a problem to later change the copyright of some software from say GPL to LGPL. Every copyright holder, i.e. all contributors who ever contributed code have to agree with that. Having many copyright holders can also be a problem before court of law, if the need ever arises.

Okay, so you own the copyright on your changes (i.e. the new code you write) but because you derive your work from code licensed under GPL your new code have to be licensed under a GPL compatible license too (unless you never ever distribute it at all), thus you can not make your derived work closed-source as that would be in conflict with the license of the code your work is based on.

[medya]

1- what if I be Inspired by the features that Sticky Note has, (but I dont use its source code) and I make my own program that do the same things and even better than Sticky Note.
can I make copyright on it and not publish the source and sell it ?
is that allowed ?

2-
another question , what if I use sticky notes but I totaly change it, and make a new program and make copyright on it and not give the source and sell it.
is it legal ?

[htinn]

My advice is to ask a lawyer these questions.

[Gustav]

1- what if I be Inspired by the features that Sticky Note has, (but I dont use its source code) and I make my own program that do the same things and even better than Sticky Note.
can I make copyright on it and not publish the source and sell it ?
is that allowed ?
Yes (at least lots of people do it all the time :))
2- another question , what if I use sticky notes but I totaly change it, and make a new program and make copyright on it and not give the source and sell it.
is it legal ?
If there are any code from the old Sticky notes it's illegal.

[Buffalo Soldier]

Disclaimer: Not a lawyer / legal expert.

1- what if I be Inspired by the features that Sticky Note has, (but I dont use its source code) and I make my own program that do the same things and even better than Sticky Note.
can I make copyright on it and not publish the source and sell it ?
is that allowed ?Should not be any problem legally, but you could be standing on a shaky moral ground.

2- another question , what if I use sticky notes but I totaly change it, and make a new program and make copyright on it and not give the source and sell it.
is it legal ?Not a problem I guess if the code is totally different. But in my personal opinion, that action is selfish.

[Kvark]

It's a good idea to send your addition to the developers of the original program. They know the program well so they can probably give you some advice on how to improve your addition. And if they agree to include your addition(perhaps after asking you to make some improvements) in the program then it will be included in future versions too without any additional effort on your part.

If you don't send your additions to the developers of the original program or if they refure to include it then you will have to either:
1. Stick to your modified version even when it gets old and outdated.

2. Modify each new version of the program when it comes out. Since the developers don't have your modification they don't design future versions of the program to be compatible with it. So with each version you will have to figure out what they changed and how to change your addition to make it work with the new version.

3. Start maintaining, developing and debugging your own fork of the program.



Read the GPL licence for details on what the rules are. In short:
1. You are not allowed to combine GPL'd code and code with incompatible licences in the same program. So you if you put a closed source licence on your code then you can't put that code into a GPL'd program. If you on the other hand have a closed source program then you can't take GPL'd code from an open source program and put it into your program. That way the whole programs stay open source.

2. You can sell or give away GPL'd programs regardless of if you have modified them or not as long as you provide the source code as well. But so can everyone else so if you sell an improved sticky notes to me for $20 then I can sell it for $10 or give it away for free. Then people will get it from me instead unless you offer some additional service that is worth your price.

3. Trademarks and copyright are entirely different things. A trademark is the identity and reputation of a company or product and most companies are very protective about their reputation. So always double check before you use someone elses trademark. If you make your own distro based on Ubuntu you can't call it "Ubuntu Deluxe". Some distros such as RedHat doesn't allow you to use their trademarks at all so if you sell or give away RedHat then you have to remove all their trademarks (and any closed source codecs etc) from it first.