Licensing

Have some feature requests, feedback, cool stuff to share, or want to know where FreeCAD is going? This is the place.
Forum rules
Be nice to others! Read the FreeCAD code of conduct!
User avatar
easyw-fc
Veteran
Posts: 3629
Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2015 9:34 am

Re: The need for a default assembly workbench

Post by easyw-fc »

user1234 wrote: Thu Mar 23, 2023 9:57 pm
easyw-fc wrote: Thu Mar 23, 2023 9:52 pm But I said that FC could be bundled as GPL3 with the A3WB and solver, as LinkBranch...
And again, not allowed.

easyw-fc wrote: Thu Mar 23, 2023 9:52 pm And if FC community would like to keep LGPL
Must, beacuse it uses OCCT.


Greetings
user1234
It doesn't seem to me.
KiCAD uses OCCT and it is GPL3

https://www.kicad.org/about/licenses/
User avatar
adrianinsaval
Veteran
Posts: 5541
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2018 5:15 pm

Re: The need for a default assembly workbench

Post by adrianinsaval »

user1234 wrote: Thu Mar 23, 2023 9:57 pm Must, beacuse it uses OCCT.
that is not the reason, you can perfectly make GPL software based on LGPL software, it's the other way around that is not allowed.
User avatar
easyw-fc
Veteran
Posts: 3629
Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2015 9:34 am

Re: The need for a default assembly workbench

Post by easyw-fc »

adrianinsaval wrote: Thu Mar 23, 2023 10:06 pm
user1234 wrote: Thu Mar 23, 2023 9:57 pm Must, beacuse it uses OCCT.
that is not the reason, you can perfectly make GPL software based on LGPL software, it's the other way around that is not allowed.
Exactly :D
user1234
Veteran
Posts: 3333
Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2016 5:08 pm

Re: The need for a default assembly workbench

Post by user1234 »

adrianinsaval wrote: Thu Mar 23, 2023 10:06 pm
user1234 wrote: Thu Mar 23, 2023 9:57 pm Must, beacuse it uses OCCT.
that is not the reason, you can perfectly make GPL software based on LGPL software, it's the other way around that is not allowed.
OK, thanks.


Anyway, FreeCAD is LGPLv2 and can not use GPLv3.


Greetings
user1234
User avatar
easyw-fc
Veteran
Posts: 3629
Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2015 9:34 am

Re: The need for a default assembly workbench

Post by easyw-fc »

user1234 wrote: Thu Mar 23, 2023 10:11 pm
adrianinsaval wrote: Thu Mar 23, 2023 10:06 pm
user1234 wrote: Thu Mar 23, 2023 9:57 pm Must, beacuse it uses OCCT.
that is not the reason, you can perfectly make GPL software based on LGPL software, it's the other way around that is not allowed.
OK, thanks.

Anyway, FreeCAD is LGPLv2 and can not use GPLv3
The same for Kicad... KiCAD is GPL3 including OCCT which is LGPL2
so FC could be distributed for users as GPL3 with assembly and solver and as LGPL without.
That is exactly what realthunder is doing without legal issues.

It is possible to ask to KiCAD teams about the legal approach... I know they rely on a legal team for that.
user1234
Veteran
Posts: 3333
Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2016 5:08 pm

Re: The need for a default assembly workbench

Post by user1234 »

Same software under two licenses? Seems to me hard to maintain. Besides, many companies still can not use it, since they need LGPL, as jriegel wrote in the linked text above

"FreeCAD is a mixture of a library and an application, so the GPL would be a little bit strong for that. It would prevent writing commercial modules for FreeCAD because it would prevent linking with the FreeCAD base libs."

If a company write a plugin for ERP (example SAP) or for a PDM/PLM (example Siemens TeamCenter), it is still not allowed.

Greetings
user1234
User avatar
easyw-fc
Veteran
Posts: 3629
Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2015 9:34 am

Re: The need for a default assembly workbench

Post by easyw-fc »

user1234 wrote: Thu Mar 23, 2023 10:32 pm Same software under two licenses? Seems to me hard to maintain. Besides, many companies still can not use it, since they need LGPL, as jriegel wrote in the linked text above

"FreeCAD is a mixture of a library and an application, so the GPL would be a little bit strong for that. It would prevent writing commercial modules for FreeCAD because it would prevent linking with the FreeCAD base libs."

If a company write a plugin for ERP (example SAP) or for a PDM/PLM (example Siemens TeamCenter), it is still not allowed.

Greetings
user1234
I really doubt a lot to think KiCAD is not spreading around in all the professional world just because its GPL license.
KiCAD doesn't seem to me a failing open source project.
User avatar
sliptonic
Veteran
Posts: 3457
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2011 10:46 pm
Location: Columbia, Missouri
Contact:

Re: The need for a default assembly workbench

Post by sliptonic »

Let's see what the internet magic wizard says....
2023-03-23_17-43.png
2023-03-23_17-43.png (149.28 KiB) Viewed 799 times
User avatar
easyw-fc
Veteran
Posts: 3629
Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2015 9:34 am

Re: The need for a default assembly workbench

Post by easyw-fc »

sliptonic wrote: Thu Mar 23, 2023 10:47 pm Let's see what the internet magic wizard says....
I would suggest you to be in touch with layers at KiCAD teams .
user1234
Veteran
Posts: 3333
Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2016 5:08 pm

Re: The need for a default assembly workbench

Post by user1234 »

easyw-fc wrote: Thu Mar 23, 2023 10:38 pm I really doubt a lot to think KiCAD is not spreading around in all the professional world just because its GPL license.
I can not tell anything about KiCAD (only used it for a private project) or the electric industry, but in the machine engineering when you have an external AUDIT and this is an issue for them, you can (must not) get a really f***ing problem, depends how many time you get to solve it. (To compare, i get a big problem because of a handful old rusty screws, just because they was not on any paper or in the system, the solution was fast, i throw them away. But the whole fun cost us around 2000$/€).

Greetings
user1234

edit: blue
Post Reply