Stop Microsoft

Operating Systems => Linux and UNIX => Topic started by: TheQuirk on 16 June 2002, 02:42

Title: Is it illegal to give out StarOffice 5.2?
Post by: TheQuirk on 16 June 2002, 02:42

After Sun stopped letting people download StarOffice, I realized that my old OpenLinux CDs (boxed version) had all of the StarOffice 5.2 RPMs on them. What I'm wondering is that would it be legal for me to setup my own server and give them out for free?

Title: Is it illegal to give out StarOffice 5.2?
Post by: voidmain on 16 June 2002, 03:14

My guess is that this would not be allowed. I would suggest reading the included license document.  Sun no longer allows free downloads on their site.  I presume that they will soon "End Of Life" it at which point who knows whether they will allow it after that. The included license should tell you though...

Title: Is it illegal to give out StarOffice 5.2?
Post by: choasforages on 16 June 2002, 03:17

can you still download that version of linux for free of the internet, if the answer is yes, one might guess, that you could distrubute the rpms for free.
/*****i am not a lawyer****/

Title: Is it illegal to give out StarOffice 5.2?
Post by: voidmain on 16 June 2002, 03:24

I don't recall a downloadable distribution of Linux that came with StarOffice 5.2.  Now I did purchase a copy of RedHat that came with a StarOffice 5.2 CD, but that CD was not downloadable from anywhere but Sun that I am aware of. Read the license.

Title: Is it illegal to give out StarOffice 5.2?
Post by: TheQuirk on 16 June 2002, 03:52

i'll read over it tonight. if I *am* allowed to, i'll post a link to the server.

Title: Is it illegal to give out StarOffice 5.2?
Post by: Calum on 16 June 2002, 04:15

i suspect that you yourself are not allowed to redistribute code unless the licence says you can. The GPL allows you to, i think you'll find that staroffice's does not. It will say that you can download it off Sun, or not at all i think.

Also, your linux CDs are illegal to copy for people if they contain any code where the licence does not allow you to copy it for people (pretty obvious but free doesn't mean freely distributable, that's another reason the GPl was started too)