Re: Copyright Notice Requirement.

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http://forums.oscommerce.com/viewtopic.php?p=187977#187977
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[quote="cyt0plas"]I've been looking at the "requirement" that the admin panel carry the copyright notice, and it looks like it's not actually allowed under the GPL.[/quote]

Our Requirement is based on communication we had with the Free Software Foundation. I think and they think it IS allowed :-)

[quote]Ok, that only kicks in if I distribute it.  That makes sense.[/quote]

The GNU-GPL only kicks in when distribution takes place. Read the GPL :-)

[quote]There are several problems with this one.
1) PHP Scripts are _not_ interactive, unless ran from the command line.  They do not "interact", nor can they possibly be construed to do so.  _Any_ program that simply runs, and outputs (without allowing any input in the process) is by it's very nature non-interactive.  It simply starts, outputs, quits.[/quote]

FSF and we think different about that. We had the same suspicions you are expressing, but talking with the FSF assured us that nothing is wrong with our position.

[quote]2) The license states "an appropriate copyright notice [b]and[/b] a notice that there is no warranty (or else, saying that you provide a warranty) [b]and[/b] that users may redistribute the program under these conditions, [b]and[/b] telling the user how to view a copy of this License."  Even _if_ the program were somehow considered interactive, _you_ fail to include that statement, so we fall under the exception.[/quote]

Me thinks different. Back your opinion yb some authorative words from the FSF - guessing and constructing does not help.

[quote]3) PHP scripts don't _display_ anything at all - they output (command line excluded).  So, if you simply preface the copyright with <!-- and after it put -->, it's still being output.  HTML has no form until it's rendered.  The decision to not display it is done by the browser.[/quote]

The "most ordinary way" to run osCommerce is by clicking a link in your browser, the output from that action is the page you view in your browser. So you are missing the point here.

[quote]I suspect some moderator won't like this and delete it, but It would be nice to hear an explanation as to why the requirement fits in.  I don't distribute it, so it doesn't affect me, but as an open-source PHP developer myself, I have yet to find a suitable answer to those questions, so I don't make any such claims.[/quote]

You are guessing wrong again. We will not delete this - why should we? But you are looking for methods to hide the fact that you are using osCommerce. Why should we like that? Why do you want to do that? THAT is the question :-)