[X2go-dev] NoMachine's licensing

[Erik Auerswald]

Hi,

On Wed, Feb 02, 2011 at 09:22:03AM -0500, brian mullan wrote:

No top-posting, please.

> As I'd suspected the GPL components that they use NoMachine points out were
> GPL already
> and nearly 80% of the overall NX project.

Yes, _currently_ enough of the code is released under GPL to make use of NX
technology with free software exclusively. There was a press release that
in future there will be no free software NX release any more (URL below).

> Given that I'm not sure they can copyright those modules as they were based
> on other GPL projects... see URL:
> http://www.nomachine.com/ar/view.php?ar_id=AR10B00018

NoMachine mentions X.org, XFree86 and OpenSSH. These projects are released
under a BSD style license, NoMachine has no need to publish sources and/or
changes regarding them.

> Note also that to maintain the code ununcumbered of copyright, patents and
> licensing issues, it is required that you agree on giving to NoMachine a *Joint
> Copyright Assignment, granting the right to use your contributions in future
> NoMachine software, being this future software open or closed source and
> intended for commercial or non commercial use*.

They are so kind to leave you with your copyright, they just want the same
rights themselves.

> software under the GPL license (a non-whitdrawable deal, ensuring that the
> software you contributed will be freely available forever under the terms of
> this same license*),*

Of course, any code released under the GPL stays under the GPL. Other code
released later (even if based on code that once was released under GPL)
is not affected by this, if the releasing party has the copyright.

> There's only a question if any of x2go's current modules were directly
> derived from NoMachine's above "programs":

Why? AFAIK there are no plans to change X2Go from GPL to some non-free
license.

To summarize:

NoMachine said that starting with version 4 the NX software will be
closed source only:
http://www.nomachine.com/news-read.php?idnews=331

It is to assume that the free version 3 NX software will not be maintained
(for long) by NoMachine after version 4 is released.

It is established that NoMachine is indeed allowed to do this.

Somebody needs to maintain the free NX software as long as it is used in
e.g. X2Go.

The recent attempts to build against system libraries (which are more
or less mandated by Debian policy[1]) are a step in the right direction
to reduce the maintenance[2] burden.

[1] If X2Go shall be included in the Debian GNU/Linux distribution.
[2] Both for the X2Go project and the X2Go Debian packagers/maintainers/
    developers/whatevertheyarecalled.

Erik
-- 
Dipl.-Inform. Erik Auerswald                http://www.fg-networking.de/
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