Chris Gehlker
8/13/2006 10:01:00 PM
On Aug 13, 2006, at 2:22 PM, M. Edward (Ed) Borasky wrote:
> Chanon Sajjamanochai wrote:
>> Hi all,
>> I just began learning Ruby a few hours ago, but it has been enough
>> to convince me that it is the language I want to write in.
>> I first decided to learn it because I wanted to learn Rails to
>> create a web application. But now that I like it so much .. I want
>> to use it in my current business (which is writing shareware games).
>> So I'm wondering, what do I have to do to be able to use Ruby in a
>> commercial application such as a shareware game?
>>> From the License it says something about some files in the
>>> distribution
>> weren't written by the author.
>> I've tried to search for information on this subject, but couldn't
>> find anything.
>> Could someone who has used Ruby in a commercial app before give me
>> some advice?
>> Thank you!
>
> My "advice" is to seek *legal* advice from *attorneys*,
> *accounting* advice from *accountants* and *programming* advice
> from *programmers*.
>
> :)
I got a grin out of Ed's advice, but, in fact, lawyers who know
anything about the legal aspects of the software business are very
scarce. Most lawyers will not give you an formal opinion in this area
that is backed by their legal malpractice insurance and without such
backing their opinion is worth precisely as much as mine and Ed's.
Having said that, of course you can use the Ruby core in commercial
applications just like you can use gcc. Many people have. When it
comes to some library, you are going to have to read the license on
the library/
--
Vegetarians eat Vegetables, Humanitarians frighten me