“Fundamentally, all open source communities want others to
modify their software and contribute those modifications back to
their projects. The General Public License (GPL) mandates this by
requiring that modifications to software licensed under the GPL
also be distributed under the GPL.“The key word here is ‘distributed.’ You are only required to
GPL your modifications if you plan to release them publically. The
GPL FAQ states:“‘You are free to make modifications and use them privately,
without ever releasing them. This applies to organizations
(including companies), too; an organization can make a modified
version and use it internally without ever releasing it outside the
organization.’“In a world where the software users run is physically located
on their machines, this requirement serves its purpose well.
However, what happens when the software is hosted somewhere else on
the network…?”
Web Webster has more than 20 years of writing and editorial experience in the tech sector. He’s written and edited news, demand generation, user-focused, and thought leadership content for business software solutions, consumer tech, and Linux Today, he edits and writes for a portfolio of tech industry news and analysis websites including webopedia.com, and DatabaseJournal.com.
LinuxToday is a trusted, contributor-driven news resource supporting all types of Linux users. Our thriving international community engages with us through social media and frequent content contributions aimed at solving problems ranging from personal computing to enterprise-level IT operations. LinuxToday serves as a home for a community that struggles to find comparable information elsewhere on the web.
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