GPL Requirements

I need to implement a wysywig html editor. I'm considering TinyMCE which is GPL, and I'm also considering a couple of paid alternatives.

I have experience with TinyMCE, but the viral nature of the GPL has me a little concerned.

Am I required to GPL my entire application that uses TinyMCE? Or just the plugin that enables TinyMCE?

I don't plan on distributing my software at all - it's just a simple website creation/management utlity. I'm just concerned that someone will demand the source code at some point, and if they do, I'm curious as to whether I'm going to be legally required to give up the whole thing, or just a portion of it.

Spending $70-200 to save my hide later is probably the best option, but for now I'd prefer to just go with FREE.

 

Disclaimer -- I am not a lawyer!

My understanding of the GPL is this -- if you use GPL code in your application, it does not 'infect' the rest of your application making it GPL. In addition if you are not distributing the code/application then you have nothing to worry about. There is no requirement that you have to redistribute the changes you've made to any GPL application. What it does say is that if you do distribute or sell your application then the person purchasing it has the same rights you had with respect to the software.

I hope this gives you a better idea -- but I suggest you read over the GPL if you want to understand more about it.

 

Basically, the way it works is this:

If you use GPL code in your application then your whole application is under the GPL. If you distribute the application, the you must give people the source code if they request it.

If you are just using the code yourself (and for the purposes of the GPL, this means only on your own web servers) you do not need to give the code to anyone else. You do not have to give the code to users of your site.

 

Please read this: http://www.sitepoint.com/article/public-license-explained

It's not as bad as it sounds if you're not modifying TinyMCE.

 

I spent about two days thoroughly researching this subject a few weeks back out of concern for using smarty in a retail product.

The gist is, the GPL/LGPL is like a virus if you ever plan on selling your script or software. Anything it touches is tainted. Some people would have you believe that as long as you don't change the code, you can distribute it with paid software. This might be the truth, but I couldn't find anything set in stone that said this.

I have found that the BSD license is a much better license to work with.