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EzInKy is offline EzInKy
2011-02-18 , 11:04
Posts: 52 | Thanked: 45 times | Joined on Dec 2009
#1
This Slashdot article points out that Microsoft forbids GPL and LGPL software from being distributed through the Window's Marketplace. Their Application Provider Agreement specifically bans "Excluded Licenses" which are described as thus:

“Excluded License” means any license requiring, as a condition of use, modification and/or distribution of the software subject to the license, that the software or other software combined and/or distributed with it be (i) disclosed or distributed in source code form; (ii) licensed for the purpose of making derivative works; or (iii) redistributable at no charge. Excluded Licenses include, but are not limited to the GPLv3 Licenses. For the purpose of this definition, “GPLv3 Licenses” means the GNU General Public License version 3, the GNU Affero General Public License version 3, the GNU Lesser General Public License version 3, and any equivalents to the foregoing.
It seems evident from the above that all copyleft licenses, not only GPLv3 licensed software, would be excluded by this clause. BSD and MIT type licenses however should be okay as they do not require source redistribution.
 

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ndi is offline ndi
2011-02-18 , 11:53
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#2
Marketplace isn't a repository, and was never meant to host user projects, many sites do that instead. It mainly keeps software that will be sold, and open-with-source apps rarely are. You can get those on SF or anywhere else. Just like Symbian and other platforms, there are many sites that host and sell apps without being Nokia's OVI.

Didn't really expect them to host source code and check it for viability of license.

It's a shop, and not allowing some software has little effect on developers, just as desktop Windows has no market for 3rd party on MS site and it's doing just fine.

I think this would be bad news if WM would function like a repository does on Linux.
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PowerUser is offline PowerUser
2011-02-18 , 12:10
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#3
"You have a choice. As long as it matches Microsoft's choice".

So you have a choice to use slow .NET and horrible and bugged MS VS which takes just some 4 reboots and almost a day to install. If you do not like them... well, you can go kill yourself, for example. That's a choice! Woot!

Then you bound to Windows. Since MS forgot to build VS for other systems anyway and .NET is such a "cross-platform" thing than you can't really use it or develop for it as long as you're not using Windows.

Then you have to love stupid IE. What? You think browser could be better? Nope, you have to eat this crap or throw your WP7 device into the toilet. You have a choice. Hell yeah! That is it.

And now what? You can't use GPL because MS already decided that you can't. But wait, aren't MS claimed they're "opensource best friends"? Aren't they declared they support opensource? And then such a funny backstab? Whoa, that's what I call double standards. They seems to be not friends but just fiends and will backstab you for fun and profit.

Bottom line? If you love double standards, if you prefer bastards, if you want to be backstabbed, or if you want some lie, if you think that cheating others is better than beat'em in a fair competition, if you do not want to have a choice and freedom, MS is your best choice for sure. Yeah!
Last edited by PowerUser; 2011-02-18 at 12:13.
 

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EzInKy is offline EzInKy
2011-02-18 , 12:18
Posts: 52 | Thanked: 45 times | Joined on Dec 2009
#4
Originally Posted by ndi View Post
It's a shop, and not allowing some software has little effect on developers, just as desktop Windows has no market for 3rd party on MS site and it's doing just fine.
Perhaps I am mistaken, but I thought WP7 restricted software installation to Microsoft approved apps unless jail broken much the same as Apple's devices.

I think this would be bad news if WM would function like a repository does on Linux.
Again I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that WM is the repository for WP7 apps. If, as you say, users are free to install software arbitrarily then of course this is not an issue.
 

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ndi is offline ndi
2011-02-18 , 12:34
Posts: 2,050 | Thanked: 1,425 times | Joined on Dec 2009 @ Bucharest
#5
Frankly, I can't find references that clear either way. Thus far, all references to restrictions apply to Marketplace. I assumed that one could run whatever they want, as is with all other Windows OSs.

Also, the App Hub says that apps must be submitted to MS for aproval before appearing in marketplace. Exceptio probat, methinks.

AFAICT, for now WP has a limit of unsigned apps, I believe it's 10, which, at the very worst, can be relaxed to 2 billion via app. Yes, that's technically jailbreaking, but I see no reason to lower or even not enforce this limit once WP exits its beta-like youth.
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cddiede is offline cddiede
2011-02-18 , 12:39
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#6
For Devs thinking of porting to WP7:


You are part of the problem.


Sorry, couldn't resist.
 

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EzInKy is offline EzInKy
2011-02-18 , 12:53
Posts: 52 | Thanked: 45 times | Joined on Dec 2009
#7
Originally Posted by ndi View Post
Frankly, I can't find references that clear either way. Thus far, all references to restrictions apply to Marketplace. I assumed that one could run whatever they want, as is with all other Windows OSs.

Also, the App Hub says that apps must be submitted to MS for aproval before appearing in marketplace. Exceptio probat, methinks.

AFAICT, for now WP has a limit of unsigned apps, I believe it's 10, which, at the very worst, can be relaxed to 2 billion via app. Yes, that's technically jailbreaking, but I see no reason to lower or even not enforce this limit once WP exits its beta-like youth.
Well, according to this site , you must first jail break the phone to be able to run ten unsigned apps, then change the registry to allow more.

The reason for Microsoft to continue to enforce these restrictions once out of beta is of course financial. They want a piece of Android's and IOS's app sales pie.

Anyway, my purpose for this thread was just to be informative, not argumentative B-)
 

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