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What happens when using software licensed under the GPL or LGPL

With all the legal and ethical issues in software development, is it allowed to use open source software in my software, which I charge a sales fee?

Scenario: I developed the PHP Content Management System (CMS) and used some Linux executables licensed under the GPL or LGPL in my CMS to perform various tasks such as image editing. I sell CMS as well as including executables when I deliver the product.

I do not edit the source code of the GPL software, just using it.

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charging is not a critical point of the GPL, you can charge fees as high as mt. ever with material coated with (L) GPL. as soon as the GPL project "touches" your own things, in most cases your things should also be GPL from this point.

LGPL just smoothes the touch.

for example, let's say you call the system command "foo", which is covered by the GPL, as an autonomous OS process: this is normal, you do not "really" touch it. but if you "link" to "libfoo", which is converted by the GPL, your things also become GPL. if "libfoo" is LGPL, you will be allowed to reference it.

so it all depends on "I just use it."

read more on the topic on wikipedia .

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Ianal

As long as you supply the source code of any GPL programs that you use on request as a suitable form for everyone to whom you sell or provide software, you are definitely fine (so no, you do not need to release the source code for non-clients). lgpl allows you to bind without offering a distribution, but any changes need to be made back.

If you use "something standalone" (say imagemagik) without associating it with your application, and your application is not derived from something that is not gpl, your software may not need to be released under the GPL

the wikipedia article goes to some level of detail in this and probably explains it better than I can;)

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Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/1303807/

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