Why Clang

[Chad Perrin]

On Wed, Jun 20, 2012 at 10:06:31PM +0200, Wojciech Puchar wrote:
> >I have some friends that develop software.  They had released it under
> >GNU umbrella.  Later on, other folks were taking advantage and not
> 
> isn't it that once you release your own work as GPL you don't really
> own this and even you cannot use it in closed source software?

When you license something, you still own the copyright.  You can then
release it under other licenses as well, and for versions you have
modified you can release it under another license *only* if you choose,
thus no longer having the GPL attached to those version.  The old
version's license, though, cannot be rescinded for those who have already
received it under those terms, which then allows them to pass it on to
others under the same license.

This means that you can simultaneously offer a piece of software for
which you own the copyright both under the GPL and as a paid-license
product for those who want different license terms than the GPL, so yeah,
you *can* use it in closed source software even when distributing it
under the GPL at the same time if *you* own the copyright or if you get a
separate license from whoever owns the copyright.  The people who are
restricted from using it in a closed-source project are those who do not
"own" the copyright, do not pay the copyright holder for a different
license, and acquire it under the GPL.  In short, the people most
restricted in such circumstances are the people who make up the open
source development community.

-- 
Chad Perrin [ original content licensed OWL: http://owl.apotheon.org ]