Geek Answers Handbook

What is the free open source version for an Android app?

I am working on an Android application and I want to provide a free demo version and a paid full version on the Android Market. However, I also want to provide the source code. I do not mind if people want to play with the code and install modified versions on their devices.

However, I do not want to see free online versions of the full version on the Internet, and a license such as the GPL will allow anyone to offer some, possibly even making money in this way. If some people prefer to build and deploy the application on their own, rather than pay $ 1-5, they can go further. But a convenient one-click button and other people making money from my efforts are not what I want.

Is there any pre-license that I can use for something like that?

Also, if I want the application to be free and open source, but later decide that I want to make money from selling it, is there a FOSS license that allows me to upgrade to the license, which I ask above later?

+6
android licensing open-source
source share
3 answers

Minix was distributed in a similar way: you had to pay for it, but then you got (non-redistributable) source code. A side effect was that users shared patches that everyone had to apply to their copy of the source code to use.

So it is possible.

I can not find the license text. Minix changed in 2000 to a BSD-like license. You can ask about the old license at usenet newsgroup comp.os.minix.

But there is another problem. Minix is ​​an operating system and not many people write them, so it’s pretty easy to check if anyone has stolen the code. But there are so many Android apps that it might be difficult to enforce a license.

0
source share

This is the purpose of the GPL or any FOSS license. since you created open source software, there is no stop for someone taking the source and modifying it as they see fit and even selling it for profit.

It would be best to release a reduced version of the software, both open source and free, such as a demo.

+3
source share

How about a generally accepted ad ?

(Not sure if this applies to code)

0
source share

More articles:


All Articles