# Open source license choice

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/open-source-license-choice/86156>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [February 20, 2007, 9:06am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/open-source-license-choice/86156 "2007-02-20T09:06:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![snacktime](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@snacktime](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/snacktime)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 9:06am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/open-source-license-choice/86156/1 "2007-02-20T09:06:50Z")

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Yes I know this has been beat to death, but there are licenses better  
suited to different languages/platforms depending on the particular  
community.

My project is open source but will also be a commercial venture.  
Normally I use a bsd/mit style license, and I think that might fit  
better into the ruby/rails community then GPL. In addition I’d like  
to be able to easily include other ruby open source code that is very  
often mit licensed. But from my understanding I won’t be able to  
include any GPL code. If I used the GPL I could include mit/bsd  
licensed code.

Another issue is there might be some parts of the code that have to  
come with additional license terms. For instance third party api’s  
that I implement have to be certified, and the third party might make  
me enforce those same restrictions on anyone who modifies those parts  
of the code. If using the mit/bsd license I could just put a module  
or two under the more restrictive license without affecting everything  
else, but I’m not sure how I would do that with the GPL. Could  
possibly cause some conflicts.

Thoughts?

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**Author:** ![snacktime](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@snacktime](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/snacktime)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 10:46am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/open-source-license-choice/86156/2 "2007-02-20T10:46:03Z")

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On 2/20/07, snacktime [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> Thoughts?

Well get legal advice from a lawyer. That would be my first advice.

Mind you I do have some experience in this field - we had to do some  
groundwork for our company on how we use open source software.

Everything hinges on when your code that uses code that has an  
OSS-license becomes a derivative work, and whether becoming a  
derived work means that your output is subject to the same license.

I wouldn’t mind some clarity in this case. A while ago your work  
would become a derived work of a GPLed product if you statically  
linked to it. Not sure how that works with GPLed dynamic languages.

Perhaps there’s a good resource that explains all of this for a coding  
audience?