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== Licences used in LabRPS ==  
== Licenses used in LabRPS ==  


LabRPS uses two different licenses, one for the application itself, and one for the documentation:
LabRPS uses two different licenses, one for the application itself, and one for the documentation:


'''[[wikipedia:GPL|General Public Licence, version 2 (GPL2)]]''' For all of the LabRPS source code found in the [https://github.com/LabRPS/LabRPS official Git repository]
'''[[wikipedia:LGPL|Lesser General Public License, version 2 or superior (LGPL2+)]]''' For all of the LabRPS source code found in the [https://github.com/LabRPS/LabRPS official Git repository] without the Alphaplot folder. The + means you can also, at your option, use LabRPS under the terms of a later version of the license, such as LGPL3
 
'''[[wikipedia:GPL|General Public Licence, version 2 (GPL2)]]''' For all of the LabRPS source code found under the Alphaplot folder.
 
'''[http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License (CC-BY-3.0)]''' For the [https://wiki.labrps.com documentation] and the  [https://www.labrps.com website].
 
See LabRPS's [https://github.com/LabRPS/LabRPS/blob/master/package/debian/copyright debian copyright file] for more details about the licenses used by the different open-source components used in LabRPS
 
== Impact of the licenses ==
 
Below is a friendlier explanation of what the LGPL license means for you:
 
==== All users ====
 
Anybody can '''download, use and redistribute LabRPS free of charge''', without any restriction. Your copy of LabRPS is truly yours, as are the files you produce with LabRPS. You will not be forced to update LabRPS after a certain time, nor change your usage of LabRPS. Using LabRPS doesn't bind you to any kind of contract or obligation. The LabRPS source code is public and can be inspected, so it is possible to verify that it doesn't do things without your knowledge such as sending your private data somewhere.
 
==== Professional users ====
 
LabRPS can be '''used freely for any kind of purpose''', being private, commercial or institutional. Any version of LabRPS can be deployed and installed anywhere, any number of times. You can also modify and adapt LabRPS for your own purposes without any restriction. However, you cannot make the LabRPS developers liable for possible damage or business loss that could occur from using LabRPS.
 
==== Open-source software developers ====
 
You can use LabRPS as a base to develop your own application, or simply extend it by creating new modules for it. If LabRPS is embedded into your own application, you can choose either the GPL or the LGPL license, or any other license that is compatible with LGPL, to allow the use of your work in proprietary software or not. If you are developing a module to be used as an extension, and don't include any of the LabRPS code in it, then you can choose any license you want. However, if you wish to see your module integrated into LabRPS one day, it is a good idea to use the same LGPL license as LabRPS itself, as LabRPS will only accept code with LGPL, MIT or BSD licenses.
 
==== Closed-source software developers ====
 
The LGPL license allows you to use LabRPS as a component for your own application, and you are not forced to make your application open source. You will get support from the LabRPS developers as long as it is not a 'one way street'. The license states however two important conditions:
 
1) You must clearly '''inform your users that your application is using LabRPS''' and that LabRPS is LGPL.
 
2) The LGPL license also stipulate your users must be able to swap your modified LabRPS component with the original LabRPS equivalent. That is would be done by dynamically linking to the LabRPS components, so users are allowed to change it. However, this is often hard to achieve by today's requirements. At LabRPS, we understand that the important point here is to not restrict the freedom given to LabRPS users by the LGPL license. So an equivalent to dynamic linking is to offer the choice to your users, by '''making your users aware of the possibility to use LabRPS for free'''. This can be done in a number of ways.
 
If any of the two conditions above are unacceptable to you or cannot be implemented, then you must make your LabRPS component LGPL too and release the source code with all the modifications you made to it.
 
There is a special case called '''derivatives''', which is when you publish basically a "rebranded" version of LabRPS. Derivatives which are not open-source are prohibited by the LGPL license. The LabRPS community is active and efficient in finding rebranded versions, reporting them to the platforms where they were found and exposing them until they are taken down.
 


'''[http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License (CC-BY-3.0)]''' For the documentation on https://www.labrps.com


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Latest revision as of 16:43, 29 October 2024

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Licenses used in LabRPS

LabRPS uses two different licenses, one for the application itself, and one for the documentation:

Lesser General Public License, version 2 or superior (LGPL2+) For all of the LabRPS source code found in the official Git repository without the Alphaplot folder. The + means you can also, at your option, use LabRPS under the terms of a later version of the license, such as LGPL3

General Public Licence, version 2 (GPL2) For all of the LabRPS source code found under the Alphaplot folder.

Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License (CC-BY-3.0) For the documentation and the website.

See LabRPS's debian copyright file for more details about the licenses used by the different open-source components used in LabRPS

Impact of the licenses

Below is a friendlier explanation of what the LGPL license means for you:

All users

Anybody can download, use and redistribute LabRPS free of charge, without any restriction. Your copy of LabRPS is truly yours, as are the files you produce with LabRPS. You will not be forced to update LabRPS after a certain time, nor change your usage of LabRPS. Using LabRPS doesn't bind you to any kind of contract or obligation. The LabRPS source code is public and can be inspected, so it is possible to verify that it doesn't do things without your knowledge such as sending your private data somewhere.

Professional users

LabRPS can be used freely for any kind of purpose, being private, commercial or institutional. Any version of LabRPS can be deployed and installed anywhere, any number of times. You can also modify and adapt LabRPS for your own purposes without any restriction. However, you cannot make the LabRPS developers liable for possible damage or business loss that could occur from using LabRPS.

Open-source software developers

You can use LabRPS as a base to develop your own application, or simply extend it by creating new modules for it. If LabRPS is embedded into your own application, you can choose either the GPL or the LGPL license, or any other license that is compatible with LGPL, to allow the use of your work in proprietary software or not. If you are developing a module to be used as an extension, and don't include any of the LabRPS code in it, then you can choose any license you want. However, if you wish to see your module integrated into LabRPS one day, it is a good idea to use the same LGPL license as LabRPS itself, as LabRPS will only accept code with LGPL, MIT or BSD licenses.

Closed-source software developers

The LGPL license allows you to use LabRPS as a component for your own application, and you are not forced to make your application open source. You will get support from the LabRPS developers as long as it is not a 'one way street'. The license states however two important conditions:

1) You must clearly inform your users that your application is using LabRPS and that LabRPS is LGPL.

2) The LGPL license also stipulate your users must be able to swap your modified LabRPS component with the original LabRPS equivalent. That is would be done by dynamically linking to the LabRPS components, so users are allowed to change it. However, this is often hard to achieve by today's requirements. At LabRPS, we understand that the important point here is to not restrict the freedom given to LabRPS users by the LGPL license. So an equivalent to dynamic linking is to offer the choice to your users, by making your users aware of the possibility to use LabRPS for free. This can be done in a number of ways.

If any of the two conditions above are unacceptable to you or cannot be implemented, then you must make your LabRPS component LGPL too and release the source code with all the modifications you made to it.

There is a special case called derivatives, which is when you publish basically a "rebranded" version of LabRPS. Derivatives which are not open-source are prohibited by the LGPL license. The LabRPS community is active and efficient in finding rebranded versions, reporting them to the platforms where they were found and exposing them until they are taken down.


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