Linux support for click-thru licenses

Question

I want to publish some software for different Linux distributions using the usual Linux packaging formats (rpm, deb, yast, etc.). My package will require a license agreement with a click. What Linux tools and package formats support the license in the package, which is displayed to the user before installing the software?

Answer 1

.deb definitely does; Debian's sun-java * packages are not free.

Keep in mind that on Linux (and other Unix systems) the administrator often installs the software, but in reality it is used by different people. You can show your click license on the first launch of the software by each user.

(well, actually, dpkg is text-based, so don't click it, but rather scroll it, but ...)

Answer 2

As derobert said, on Unixy systems it’s often not the end user who installs the software, so the request for the installer / administrator to agree to the license may not be what you want (depending on the purpose of the software and the license, the text I I think).

Click-through (or shrinkwrap, which is slightly different, but essentially the same principle), licenses have been the subject of controversy for many years, since although there is “acceptance” by the user, it is difficult to prove that it was the user who accepted the license and that the user actually read what was presented to them before using the software.

Take, for example, your store for repairing mom + pop-computer for installing / updating Windows; they usually click on the license pages so that they can install all the other crap software they collect on their PC, and the actual owner does not have the opportunity to read or agree to the license.

It is worth taking a look at the legality of this type of license in your jurisdiction and the jurisdiction of the users you intend to target.

I would not rely on package management to do this for you. I would definitely have this as part of your application code. You can get a post install script for almost any package manager to launch a click-through program if necessary, but I think it's better to run it as a user’s business.

Answer 3

Installing an RPM script should not be used to ask questions, because there is no guarantee that the code works in the script. (it can be installed from the GUI, and also people do not want the script to stop in a large installation transaction). You can name the license agreement that uses RPM and show it to users either from the first launch, or from the Dowwnload website, or by adding notes to the description.

Answer 4

You probably DO NOT want to do this using the packaging mechanism, but there is no guarantee for a click. Instead, you may consider such a license the first time you launch the application. Don't rely on curse-based window prompts, some package installers are just about to redirect them, and your installation will just hang forever.

Some applications are doing this now to claim trademark policy, others are going a little deeper. Most Linux users do not , like EULA conventions, but I assume that someone installing your software will still wait.