Nifty Cluster Mitch wrote:
> On Fri, Oct 17, 2008 at 11:21:14AM +0200, Niki Kovacs wrote:
>> Mark Maskery a ?crit :
>>> We develop and sell a server based application as an appliance in
>>> which, in general, the customer does not have direct access to the
>>> operating system. My question is, are we allowed to use CentOS as the
>>> underlying operating system and if so what license considerations are
>>> there or what license information would we need to include for our
>>> customers?
>> Yes, you are allowed to do that. And if your business runs well,
>> consider a donation to CentOS.
>>
>
> Review the GPL, BSD, X11 and other licenses as outlined on the CentOS
> web site (see also Red Hat's web site).
>
> You may need to make it very visible that there is CentOS under the hood.
> You need to make available the source to the CentOS bits you
> deliver to your customer including changes you make.
>
> Your application need not be GPL as long as you are 100% the sole author.
>
> Give special attention to "derived" work in the GPL. If part of your application
> is GPL then it may well all be GPL.
>
> To simplify your package requirements collect all the CentOS iso images
> and deliver them to your customer (both source and binary iso images).
> Then add media for the changes you make to CentOS. Lastly add separate
> media for the application you are selling.
>
This is the KEY to distributing CentOS where there are really NO
requirements to get any permission or do anything. If you distribute
the CentOS ISOs exactly as they are provided then you do not need
anyone's permission to do so. If you build your application and
distribute it on a separate ISO, then you can also ship the CentOS ISOs
to your customers (or make both available for download, etc).
The CentOS-5 and CentOS-4 ISOs have the ability to install packages from
3rd Party ISOs.
Also, if you use this method, your customers can get CentOS updates from
CentOS and you only need to maintain your product (and provide CentOS
isos to your customers if they ask).
> Lastly pay attention to updates and security fixes that you deliver from
> CentOS or other repo. If the customer does not download them then you
> have some obligations....
>
>
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