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Old 7th August 2003
silver silver is offline
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Default Re: License for BSplayer...

Quote:
Originally Posted by ploum
Hi,

I think BSplayer is a wonderful software, perhaps the best video player under windows. It's perhaps one of the only not "free software" I use.

I see on this forum that someone asked about the license, but there's no real answer.

BSplayer can become the best software ever seen if your publish it under a free-software license and you publish the source. I suggest personnaly the General Public License.

Why ?

- BSplayer will become more and more popular (think about those FreeSoftware CD-rom).
- Some hackers will bring you a lot of good ideas.
- With GPL, you can be sure that, if someone modify your software, those modifications must be under GPL and you can access it.
- With GPL, your author copyright will be in a safe place.

Imagine : now, a society can take bsplayer and "decompil" it. They can then send it, for a lot of money and attack you because you stole code ! ! ! (Ok, it's paranoia... but it's possible )
With GPL or another Free Licence, you will be in a safe an really useful position. Be aware that GPL allow you to give your software for money if you want.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about free licence...
I think that the author should think twice before adopting the GPL license. Under the license terms, you must release the source code of your work.

Even if you don't mind, imagine the situation below: I am a computer magazine editor. And I have seen your code and program, I include it in the magazine and it CD-Rom. And use bsplayer as advertisement to increase the sale of magazine.

If the author only want the computer magazine editor to copy and show the code of bsplayer to his co-worker and friends, but restrict his right to print the code on the computer magazine. I think that Aladdin Free Public License http://www.ghostscript.com/doc/cvs/Public.htm or creative common license http://creativecommons.org/license/ are much more suitable the author.

The main difference from the two licenses are Aladdin Free Public License require the author to release the source code while creative commons license can use it in the program itself or source code or both
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