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I think Meteor actually has the opposite problem: Running a web app is not generally considered to be distribution, so as long as you aren't actually giving the

by chc 15y ago

I think Meteor actually has the opposite problem: Running a web app is not generally considered to be distribution, so as long as you aren't actually giving the source code to anybody else, the requirements of the GPL don't apply to you. (IANAL, but this is my understanding.)

bryanh 15y ago
This is correct, and is the exact reason the AGPL was created (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affero_General_Public_License http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affero_General_Public_License): to close the "not really distributed" loophole in GPL.
ewang1 15y ago
Wouldn't this only apply to the server side code of the app? If any proprietary code is also bundled and distributed client side by Meteor then I think the GPL provisions would apply.
kragen 15y ago
Meteor runs on the client, not the server. If the server sends the code to the client so that the client can run it, the code is being distributed to the client. Better make sure that you have a link to the un-minified version of your site's JS if you minify it and use Meteor, and of course don't try to restrict your users from studying, copying, modifying, and redistributing your site's JS.
davidroetzel 15y ago
IANAL and my understanding of the GPL in a web context is at best fuzzy, but I still believe the following to be true: The majority of application code is run on a user's browser. This means it is distributed (or conveyed) to the user. Thus, you have to offer every user of the app a possibility to obtain the unobfuscated source code. But there is more: The GPL requires you to offer not only some JS files, but everything needed to run the application. This would include everything on the server-side as well. Sencha's take on this might also be interesting in this context: http://www.sencha.com/legal/open-source-faq/ http://www.sencha.com/legal/open-source-faq/ They have been using a GPL dual-licensing model for their products for quite some time now and I suspect they consulted more than one lawyer.
pbreit 15y ago
Except that the nature of Meteor is that the source code is always being distributed out to the client. Meteor is quite a bit different from the usual web framework where all the code is run on the server.
pbreit 15y ago
Except that the nature of Meteor is that the source code is always being distributed out to the client. Meteor is quite a bit different from the usual web framework where all the code is run on the server.

by chc 15y ago

bryanh 15y ago

This is correct, and is the exact reason the AGPL was created (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affero_General_Public_License http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affero_General_Public_License): to close the "not really distributed" loophole in GPL.

ewang1 15y ago

Wouldn't this only apply to the server side code of the app? If any proprietary code is also bundled and distributed client side by Meteor then I think the GPL provisions would apply.

kragen 15y ago

Meteor runs on the client, not the server. If the server sends the code to the client so that the client can run it, the code is being distributed to the client. Better make sure that you have a link to the un-minified version of your site's JS if you minify it and use Meteor, and of course don't try to restrict your users from studying, copying, modifying, and redistributing your site's JS.

davidroetzel 15y ago

IANAL and my understanding of the GPL in a web context is at best fuzzy, but I still believe the following to be true: The majority of application code is run on a user's browser. This means it is distributed (or conveyed) to the user. Thus, you have to offer every user of the app a possibility to obtain the unobfuscated source code. But there is more: The GPL requires you to offer not only some JS files, but everything needed to run the application. This would include everything on the server-side as well. Sencha's take on this might also be interesting in this context: http://www.sencha.com/legal/open-source-faq/ http://www.sencha.com/legal/open-source-faq/ They have been using a GPL dual-licensing model for their products for quite some time now and I suspect they consulted more than one lawyer.

pbreit 15y ago

Except that the nature of Meteor is that the source code is always being distributed out to the client. Meteor is quite a bit different from the usual web framework where all the code is run on the server.

pbreit 15y ago