Re: [opensuse-factory] Comparing enterprise and community distros

Am 23.02.2018 um 12:25 schrieb Liam Proven:

On Fri, 23 Feb 2018 08:27:56 +0100 Stefan Seyfried wrote:

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On 22.02.2018 19:00, Liam Proven wrote:

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I really want to understand this better, and if I can, help to formulate a clear, concise explanation of the relationship between SUSE and openSUSE. I work at SUSE myself, after all, and nobody explained it to me!

Then please ask your manager for a "mailing lists 101" introduction, so that you can choose the correct list to ask a question next time. Thanks.

Actually, he's been supportive of this.

Supportive of asking on the wrong list?

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Most of the software in SLE is still GPL. AIUI (I'm not a lawyer), it is basically impossible for SUSE to sell a GPL license to anyone.

You appear to misunderstand the nature of the GPL.

https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.en.html#DoesTheGPLAllowMoney

« Does the GPL allow me to sell copies of the program for money? (#DoesTheGPLAllowMoney)

Yes, the GPL allows everyone to do this. The right to sell copies is part of the definition of free software. Except in one special situation, there is no limit on what price you can charge. (The one exception is the required written offer to provide source code that must accompany binary-only release.) »

That leads to:

https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/selling.html

« Actually, we encourage people who redistribute free software to charge as much as they wish or can. If a license does not permit users to make copies and sell them, it is a nonfree license. If this seems surprising to you, please read on. »

« Distributing free software is an opportunity to raise funds for development. Don't waste it! »

Selling the software != selling the licence.

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What SUSE sells is service: subscriptions. Access to updated versions. Technical support. Whatever. But not a license.

There is a free-of-charge 60-day _trial_ of SLE. I have a machine running it.

Yes. I know. And we have lots (probably a six-figure number) of SLE subscriptions at work.

https://www.suse.com/products/server/download/

Note, it stops receiving updates after 60 days. It is not time-bombed; it does not stop working, but it does become unsafe to use on the public Internet once it can no longer be updated.

This does not really contradict what I wrote. SUSE sells subscriptions. Not licenses. I'll open the Customer center now. What do I see? "Warning: 3 expired subscriptions". "SUSE Server: XXX Subscriptions". Not a single License in our portfolio.

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I hate it that I have to explain this at work at least twice a day, but having to explain it to FOSS people really hurts.

Then how come your comments to me appear to be based on an incorrect understanding?

It is 100% legal _and explicitly encouraged by the FSF_ to sell GPL software.

I did not question that. But SUSE is not selling a license for this GPL software. If it was, I could just take the thing I bought and, word of GPL, give it away for free. You would not be happy for very long. This is why SUSE and RedHat sell services ("subscriptions") under different conditions than the GPL. And now, please, take it to the right list (I don't know which one, but not factory@) -- Stefan Seyfried "For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled." -- Richard Feynman -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-factory+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse-factory+owner@opensuse.org