GPLed Library (EXT JS) Licensing Issue

Question

Good Day Everyone,

I am realy out of option for interpreting the GPL for EXTJS for my work/idea/personal project. I can see that this is an active forum I realy hope, I have a closure on this.

First let me explain my project, Iam creating this website which is like a webportal which is intented for End-User, now this webapps uses an EXTJS library which is GPL'ed as with my understanding on this GPL Any application uses GPL license libray should be released to as Open Source a a GPL compatible Linsence, this is when I or my application is a derivework or I have modified the Library and released it. or destribute it.

But EXTJS has this dual license which is typically giving me the rights to do what I want. without giving out my code.

If my application is intented for end user only, not a derive form of work, not a library, not a development tool, I will not distribute it because it is on the web. with this also the Libraries i will use will remain untouch as it is. and I will have list of library I use and thier respective license to credit them

Given this can I not close-source my application and not violate the GPL? is it ok for me to use GPL library so long as the above is meet?

The question in short is can i used GPL'ed Library, do not released my code as OPensource compatible License and still NOT violate the GPL'ed terms?

Thanks in Advance

Nick Ace

Answer 1

Based on the letter of the GPL, you may be right in interpreting that it's possible to use Ext without releasing any code, depending on the circumstances.

However, there's also something as the intent of the people who make it. In your place, I would mail [email protected] and ask them this question. If you don't like their answer, use a different library. Dojo, YUI and a ton of other libraries are available under more permissive licenses, so you have a ton of options.

If you think that Ext JS is a step up from those other libraries, and the guys at Sencha want you to pay for it, then the honest thing to do is to pay for it. Good products deserve getting paid for if their authors want that.

Answer 2

The intent of the ExtJs license is pretty clear: if you want to distribute your software without releasing your own source code, you have to buy a commercial license.

Based on the "Quid Pro Quo" principle, if you wish to derive a commercial advantage by not releasing your application under an open source license, you must purchase an appropriate number of commercial licenses from Sencha. By purchasing commercial licenses, you are no longer obligated to publish your source code.

http://www.sencha.com/products/license.php

Note that this is about distribution. If your application is an in-house application, and you are not distributing the application to the outside world, then you don't need to buy a commercial license. Notice the words "releasing your application" in the quote above.

With respect to using the ExtJs library for an application in which the pages will be seen by the outside world, I would contact Sencha and ask them if they consider this a form of distribution.