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Isn't the issue that the App Store doesn't have a mechanism to redistribute the source in a way that is compliant with the GPL? Is it fair to say Apple prohibi

Isn't the issue that the App Store doesn't have a mechanism to redistribute the source in a way that is compliant with the GPL? Is it fair to say Apple prohibits the GPL? Anyway that tried to sell GPL licensed software on the App Store is "breaking the law" so Apple prohibits it? Or is there more to it?

loumf 9y ago
Specially the issue is that I cannot replace your binary with one I create myself from your source. 1. I can’t use your app ID 2. I can’t sign it with your cert 3. I can’t tie it to your website for deep links (because of #1) It used to be the case that I couldn’t even get the binary to the device without paying $99/year, but that’s not necessary any more. The dev program fee was definitely anti-GPL. I don’t know if the other things I mentioned are.
CaptSpify 9y ago
> Isn't the issue that the App Store doesn't have a mechanism to redistribute the source in a way that is compliant with the GPL? Is it? I know nothing of this subject and am speaking out of my ass, but that seems.... trivial to do. I'm curious as to why that is hard for them to do?
sheetjs 9y ago
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/more-about-the-app-store-gpl-enforcement http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/more-about-the-app-store-... goes into more detail, but the summary is: > Apple's Terms of Service impose restrictive limits on use and distribution for any software distributed through the App Store, and the GPL doesn't allow that.
quadrangle 9y ago
As others clarified, this is not about source. I don't even care about that really, I mean I do in principle — but I just want to use and recommend to others and have GPL software within the iOS ecosystem, on these devices. I'm fine if the source were available through just a link in the software to a website where you separately download it. No, here's the deal: GPL: You CAN modify and share this software, and if you share, you have to keep these terms for others so they have freedoms too. iOS terms: You MAY NOT modify or share ANY software you get as a normal consumer through the app store OR install any software from outside the app store. The problem is that Apple's unwillingness to ALLOW a user to exercise these basic freedoms means that there's no way to distribute in the App Store any software that requires these freedoms be maintained. It's incompatible terms. And the fault for the incompatibility lies 100% on Apple for their terms that are the ones that demand that freedoms not be allowed.

loumf 9y ago

Specially the issue is that I cannot replace your binary with one I create myself from your source. 1. I can’t use your app ID 2. I can’t sign it with your cert 3. I can’t tie it to your website for deep links (because of #1) It used to be the case that I couldn’t even get the binary to the device without paying $99/year, but that’s not necessary any more. The dev program fee was definitely anti-GPL. I don’t know if the other things I mentioned are.

CaptSpify 9y ago

> Isn't the issue that the App Store doesn't have a mechanism to redistribute the source in a way that is compliant with the GPL? Is it? I know nothing of this subject and am speaking out of my ass, but that seems.... trivial to do. I'm curious as to why that is hard for them to do?

sheetjs 9y ago

http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/more-about-the-app-store-gpl-enforcement http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/more-about-the-app-store-... goes into more detail, but the summary is: > Apple's Terms of Service impose restrictive limits on use and distribution for any software distributed through the App Store, and the GPL doesn't allow that.

quadrangle 9y ago

As others clarified, this is not about source. I don't even care about that really, I mean I do in principle — but I just want to use and recommend to others and have GPL software within the iOS ecosystem, on these devices. I'm fine if the source were available through just a link in the software to a website where you separately download it. No, here's the deal: GPL: You CAN modify and share this software, and if you share, you have to keep these terms for others so they have freedoms too. iOS terms: You MAY NOT modify or share ANY software you get as a normal consumer through the app store OR install any software from outside the app store. The problem is that Apple's unwillingness to ALLOW a user to exercise these basic freedoms means that there's no way to distribute in the App Store any software that requires these freedoms be maintained. It's incompatible terms. And the fault for the incompatibility lies 100% on Apple for their terms that are the ones that demand that freedoms not be allowed.