[ID3 Dev] I want to make my Java API OpenSource

[Paul Taylor]

Personally I would recommend LGPL which is what I have used for my Java 
ID3 Tagging Library (https://jaudiotagger.dev.java.net/). As Tom said 
LGPL means that anybody who modifies the library must release the 
changes they have made , but they dont have to release any other source 
code that just uses the library. So if I make an enhancement to the 
library I need to let you know about it, this benefits everyone. If I 
decide to write another application that uses your library but dont want 
to release the source code I can , this means you get input from a wider 
pool of people and companies. The edge cases don't appear to Java  LGPL 
and to be honest would you go to the trouble of taking somebody to court 
if they did break the license agreement.

The trouble with the GPL is it is very restrictive, basically it says 
the library can only be used by other open source libraries. In practise 
the situation is probably worse, unscrupulous individuals/companies can 
see your code but will use it in closed source applications and as so 
not too bring attention to themselves will not inform you of any 
improvement s they do make.

In this particular scenerio if you made your library LGPL I could use 
elements of your library in mine and vice versa creating some synergy 
for the benefit of both projects. However if you made it GPL I could not 
because I would have to make my library GPL as well.

BTW I recommend www.java.net for hosting your project, they provide a 
number of useful tools such as source control,forums,mailing lists .. 
and because the it is purely java based and hosted by SUN there are alot 
of users of the site with good knowledge to help improve your project.

Paul

Tom Sorensen wrote:

> To clarify what Scott said a bit, here's what happens if you release
> your library under X license (loosely):
>
> BSD/MIT (very similar): They are not required to publish any source,
> only to acknowledge your library and indicate that you wrote it, not
> them.
> LGPL: As above, but they do have to publish changes they make to your 
> source.
> GPL: As above, plus they have to publish all of their own source code,
> even if they link to it dynamically.
>
> Note that LGPL is of questionable legal standing; it's never been
> tested and there's a lot of weird "edge" cases (although I'm unsure
> that they apply to Java). Both the BSD/MIT licenses and the GPL are
> court tested (in the US at least) and solid.
>
> There are many, many other OSS licenses as well, but those four are
> the big ones, and most other licenses are similar in nature to one of
> them.
>
> On 6/6/06, Michal Vician <id3v2 at audiott.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi!
>>
>> Maybe some of you know me. I've been for few months very busy because of
>> school leaving exams. Fortunately, I passed all of them without any
>> problems and now I have time for things I relly like - programming :-)
>>
>> Maybe you know freeware AudioTT which I have wrote. Now I want to 
>> publish
>> my Java API that can handle almost everything related to MP3 and ID3 
>> tags
>> (using this API you can gain information about MP3 format, manipulate 
>> with
>> ID3 v1/v2.3/v2.4 tag, it supports also new CHAP and CTOC frames ....).
>>
>> Is there anybody have some experiences with GPL, LGPL... licences, or
>> anybody who would like to contribute etc.
>>
>> Just let me know please. I appreciate any help.
>>
>> Kind regards
>> Miso
>>
>> ---
>> Michal Vician
>> id3v2 at audiott.com
>> http://www.audiott.com/
>>
>>
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>> To unsubscribe, e-mail: id3v2-unsubscribe at id3.org
>> For additional commands, e-mail: id3v2-help at id3.org
>>
>>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> To unsubscribe, e-mail: id3v2-unsubscribe at id3.org
> For additional commands, e-mail: id3v2-help at id3.org
>
>
>


---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: id3v2-unsubscribe at id3.org
For additional commands, e-mail: id3v2-help at id3.org