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The How and Why of AdvancedHMI Licensing

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TheColonel26:

--- Quote ---How is AdvancedHMI licensed?

    A: In summary, the freely available version can be used and distributed without fees. The project is under GPL which means projects you develop and distribute to end users must make source code available to them. The graphics are copyrighted and can only be used in AdvancedHMI projects. The DLLs can be distributed with projects, but can not be separated to be used in applications other than AdvancedHMI.

    We do not allow the use of the base components to be used in any other software packages, however if you are interested in the controls, we develop custom versions to be used in your own software packages. Eventually we will also license the communication drivers to be used outside of AdvancedHMI. You may contact us for information.

--- End quote ---

So what is the definition of "base components"?

There are 3 projects that come with AHMI source AdvancedHMI, AdvancedHMIControls, and AdvancedHMIDrivers. Then the AdvancedHMIControls and and AdvancedHMIDrivers projects both reference "MfgControl.AdvancedHMI.Controls" and "MfgControl.AdvancedHMI.Drivers" which are compiled assemblies with no source available. Can the AdvancedHMI and the AdvancedHMIControls project be removed

Archie:

--- Quote from: TheColonel26 on March 29, 2018, 07:58:09 AM ---So what is the definition of "base components"?

There are 3 projects that come with AHMI source AdvancedHMI, AdvancedHMIControls, and AdvancedHMIDrivers. Then the AdvancedHMIControls and and AdvancedHMIDrivers projects both reference "MfgControl.AdvancedHMI.Controls" and "MfgControl.AdvancedHMI.Drivers" which are compiled assemblies with no source available. Can the AdvancedHMI and the AdvancedHMIControls project be removed

--- End quote ---
The base components is everything that comes with the original download. The AdvancedHMIControls and AdvancedHMI projects cannot be removed. The reason being is that if someone else looks at or modifies the application, they will see a "crippled" version and judge AdvancedHMI as being very limited.

TheColonel26:
So why does the License and Usage file state the AHMI is released under the GPL? The restriction from removing components from the source are a violation of the GPL. You can modify the the wording of the GPL all day long, but when you add more restriction it ceases to be the GPL and is no longer compatible with other GPL software. This means that you can not use any other GPL software in a project with AHMI. Otherwise you would be violating the license agreements of other software packages. You can use it with Mozilla, MIT, Free license software, but not with GPL.

Archie:
So let me explain this in another way.

1) All of the *.vb and *.cs files found in the AdvancedHMIControls, AdvancedHMIDrivers, AdvancedHMI, and AdvancedHMIcs projects are GPL v3 licensed.
2) The support files of MfgControl.AdvancedHMI.Drivers.dll and MfgControl.AdvancedHMI.Controls.dll are classified as "System Libraries" that "serves only to enable use of the work with that Major Component"

The support files are licensed for use within and only within a complete AdvancedHMI base package at minimum. Therefore the project is GPL code that can include other GPL code.

If you remove both support DLL files, then you are no longer bound to their licensing and will be operating strictly under a GPL license in which you are then free to remove anything you wish from the solution.

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