RE: GNU and Commercially Developed Add-On...?

iiinetworks <[email protected]> 14 Aug 2003 00:12:48 -0000
Newsgroups gmane.comp.web.oscommerce.gpl
Message-ID <667b7c4ef6fdf3a8b0f8cc47afa6fc4f@osCommerce-Forums>
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http://forums.oscommerce.com/viewtopic.php?p=213384#213384
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If it modifies osCommerce databases, then it is osCommerce dependent (the database design is GPLed in oscommerce.sql).  Unless it is as generic as phpMyAdmin, it won't free you from GPL requirements.  This is exactly the kind of thing I meant with regards to practicality.  If the main goal is to write to osCommerce, the software has to be GPLed.  If you just want to have a simpler way of transferring info, then there are ways to do that with proprietary software without crossing the GPL.

Think more in terms of Froogle.  Froogle is a proprietary system, yet osCommerce (with EasyPopulate, etc.) can send to it.  The osCommerce side is GPLed, but the Froogle product does not have to be.  You need to have that interface, where the osCommerce side reads from and writes to an interface that is not itself based on osCommerce.

What you could do is use the eBay SDK to write to a MySQL database and then write a (GPLed!) addon to osCommerce to read from that database and migrate its info over.  Note:  this *must* be done in an osCommerce independent way.  All the burden of complying with osCommerce requirements should be on the osCommerce (GPLed) side.  You are just converting from eBay to a generic format with your proprietary software.  Converting from generic to osCommerce has to be done under the GPL.

Hth,
Matt