Rune <run### [at] mobilixnetdk> wrote:

[...]

> I've considered using one of the known public licenses. I don't really
> know anything about those. I've been recommended the GPL, and I've found
> and read version 2 of that one. Is that the newest version? I would also
> be interested in knowing if there are other alternative licenses that
> might be of interest to me.

Yes, 2 is the newest version, although there are discussions about
another version.

OK, here is an interesting licensing arrangement which I just discovered
from my partner in business. You can have a *dual* license on the same
piece of code (assuming that you are not using any code in it that has
already been GPL'd). So, you release your files under GPL, but you can
have another licensed version for commercial users who do not want to
keep the code open. 

Suppose a company wants to take your code (on which you have copyright),
develop it further, and then make it into a complied application to
distribute on a CD-Rom. You (and only you) can sell them such a license
under whatever terms you agree. Meanwhile, anyone else developing your
code further under the GPL license you released will not be able to sell
or distribute a compiled version.

The best example of this, apparently, is Qt in Linux, which has such a
dual license. If you want to develop a closed application with the Qt
library, you have to obtain a commercial license, but you are free to
use and modify the code under GPL. 

By the way, I too appreciate the civilised way in which others have
debated this issue. Whatever happens, Rune, people like you deserve the
greatest success. I hope somehow I can contribute to the povray
community one way or another.

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