6 ms·

Please forgive me for being unnecessarily obtuse this early on a Monday morning. Where does Apple say that GPL code isn’t allowed on the App Store? I ask entir

by maxaf 7y ago

Please forgive me for being unnecessarily obtuse this early on a Monday morning. Where does Apple say that GPL code isn’t allowed on the App Store? I ask entirely out of my selfish need to avoid unpleasant surprises later on.

izacus 7y ago
Apple doesn't say it directly, but the way how they deliver apps to devices incompatible with GPL licensing terms. See for example https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/6109/is-it-possible-to-have-gpl-software-in-the-mac-app-store https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/6109/is-it-possibl... .
ljackman 7y ago
Apple has been slowly phasing out GPLed software from their own software, such as Catalina's migration from Bash to Z Shell, but even writing third party apps with the GPL has apparently been problematic in the past: https://thenextweb.com/apps/2013/07/18/vlc-for-ios-will-return-to-the-app-store-on-july-19-full-re-write-open-source-licensed-under-mplv2-and-gplv2/ https://thenextweb.com/apps/2013/07/18/vlc-for-ios-will-retu...
soulofmischief 7y ago
It's what I've heard rehashed around HN, but afaik the actual policy is more or less as described here: https://forums.developer.apple.com/thread/18922 https://forums.developer.apple.com/thread/18922 Essentially it works like it should anywhere else: If you don't publish source code and someone complains, you're out. In an ideal world Google Play would hold itself to the same standards. However, the App Store does impart restrictions which are incompatible with GPL, so it's not so much that Apple doesn't allow it as it is that GPL doesn't allow it. Apple has no official statement on this of course, but we know how they feel about GPL code given that they've removed every bit of it from their OS over the last few years.
- avar 7y ago
  They haven't been removing GPL code actively, they decided not to take the risk of using GPL version 3 software, so they've let the respective versions of bash, rsync etc. linger at their last released GPL version 2 releases. E.g. Git is on GPL version 2 still (and probably forever), and Apple continues to update that in a relatively timely fashion.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - soulofmischief 7y ago
    Apple just switched to zsh, which is not GPL other than a few optional shell functions. Expect this trend to continue.
- pseudalopex 7y ago
  The App Store came after the GPL. Also, Apple could let developers opt out of the restrictions.
  - soulofmischief 7y ago
    But they don't, and that's what this conversation is about.
    - pseudalopex 7y ago
      You attributed the incompatibility to the GPL. Apple created the incompatibility. Apple could easily fix it. The FSF can't change existing versions of the GPL.
dwaite 7y ago
Someone should probably tell VLC if GPL is disallowed, since they have been shipping across tvOS and iOS for years.
- enitihas 7y ago
  I think VLC core had a large amount of code rewritten, to change the license (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787965 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787965), which required a large effort from the VLC team.
Tinfoilhat666 7y ago
Free Software Foundation says that GPL is not allowed in AppStore and they may request GPL software to be removed from App Store. https://www.fsf.org/news/2010-05-app-store-compliance https://www.fsf.org/news/2010-05-app-store-compliance
kevin_thibedeau 7y ago
The issue is that the Apple dev ecosystem creates encumbrances that prevent users of GPL binaries from relinking them. That is a GPL violation and such binaries are not compliant with the license.
zepto 7y ago
They don’t- it’s the FSF restricting developers freedom. Not Apple.
- Starz0r 7y ago
  How? I'll debate FSF ethics as much as the next guy, but they clearly state they want end user freedoms such as the freedom to modify the application you use. Apple clearly doesn't want that if you use specific GPL versions. This is an Apple problem, not FSF.
  - zepto 7y ago
    End user freedoms but not freedoms for the person who actually creates the code.

by maxaf 7y ago

izacus 7y ago

Apple doesn't say it directly, but the way how they deliver apps to devices incompatible with GPL licensing terms. See for example https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/6109/is-it-possible-to-have-gpl-software-in-the-mac-app-store https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/6109/is-it-possibl... .

ljackman 7y ago

Apple has been slowly phasing out GPLed software from their own software, such as Catalina's migration from Bash to Z Shell, but even writing third party apps with the GPL has apparently been problematic in the past: https://thenextweb.com/apps/2013/07/18/vlc-for-ios-will-return-to-the-app-store-on-july-19-full-re-write-open-source-licensed-under-mplv2-and-gplv2/ https://thenextweb.com/apps/2013/07/18/vlc-for-ios-will-retu...

soulofmischief 7y ago

It's what I've heard rehashed around HN, but afaik the actual policy is more or less as described here: https://forums.developer.apple.com/thread/18922 https://forums.developer.apple.com/thread/18922 Essentially it works like it should anywhere else: If you don't publish source code and someone complains, you're out. In an ideal world Google Play would hold itself to the same standards. However, the App Store does impart restrictions which are incompatible with GPL, so it's not so much that Apple doesn't allow it as it is that GPL doesn't allow it. Apple has no official statement on this of course, but we know how they feel about GPL code given that they've removed every bit of it from their OS over the last few years.

avar 7y ago
They haven't been removing GPL code actively, they decided not to take the risk of using GPL version 3 software, so they've let the respective versions of bash, rsync etc. linger at their last released GPL version 2 releases. E.g. Git is on GPL version 2 still (and probably forever), and Apple continues to update that in a relatively timely fashion.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- soulofmischief 7y ago
  Apple just switched to zsh, which is not GPL other than a few optional shell functions. Expect this trend to continue.
pseudalopex 7y ago
The App Store came after the GPL. Also, Apple could let developers opt out of the restrictions.
- soulofmischief 7y ago
  But they don't, and that's what this conversation is about.
  - pseudalopex 7y ago
    You attributed the incompatibility to the GPL. Apple created the incompatibility. Apple could easily fix it. The FSF can't change existing versions of the GPL.

dwaite 7y ago

Someone should probably tell VLC if GPL is disallowed, since they have been shipping across tvOS and iOS for years.

enitihas 7y ago
I think VLC core had a large amount of code rewritten, to change the license (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787965 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787965), which required a large effort from the VLC team.

Tinfoilhat666 7y ago

Free Software Foundation says that GPL is not allowed in AppStore and they may request GPL software to be removed from App Store. https://www.fsf.org/news/2010-05-app-store-compliance https://www.fsf.org/news/2010-05-app-store-compliance

kevin_thibedeau 7y ago

The issue is that the Apple dev ecosystem creates encumbrances that prevent users of GPL binaries from relinking them. That is a GPL violation and such binaries are not compliant with the license.

zepto 7y ago

They don’t- it’s the FSF restricting developers freedom. Not Apple.

Starz0r 7y ago
How? I'll debate FSF ethics as much as the next guy, but they clearly state they want end user freedoms such as the freedom to modify the application you use. Apple clearly doesn't want that if you use specific GPL versions. This is an Apple problem, not FSF.
- zepto 7y ago
  End user freedoms but not freedoms for the person who actually creates the code.