If your business develops software, either internally or for sale, you have probably encountered the frustration and expense of mixed computer
environments. Applications written for Microsoft Windows may have to be completely re-written to work on Linux, Mac OS X, or portable devices.
One attractive solution is to write software in a cross-platform application framework, which permits code to be re-used for many different
systems. A popular cross-platform application framework is Qt, which has been used successfully for more than ten years in major software
products, including the K Desktop Environment, Google Earth, and Sun's VirtualBox. But developers and managers looking at Qt have faced a tough
business decision: either use the free version of Qt, thereby dedicating your software to the world under the GNU General Public License (GPL),
or purchase an expensive commercial license, which allows you to build proprietary software.
Qt users will no longer have to ask this question because Nokia recently announced in
a press release that it will release Qt
version 4.5 under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL). The LGPL permits users of open source libraries, like Qt, to develop proprietary
works that dynamically link to the open source library. This change means that when you use Qt 4.5, you will save both the up-front cost of a
commercial license and the continuing cost of a software licensing-compliance program.
This license change makes Qt a very attractive platform for cross-platform software development.
Jackson Walker L.L.P. has significant experience in open source software licensing. If you would like to learn more about how the GPL and LGPL
can affect your business, please download "A Practical Guide to the GNU
GPL" or contact Sean Crandall at 210.978.7714 or
scrandall@jw.com with any questions.
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