List of open source iOS apps

Re:List of open source iOS apps by 0x0 on Wednesday July 13, 2016 @10:27AM (#12086360)

How is that different from running GPL programs on Windows? You need to accept the EULA to run windows, which limits how you can use the application as well. Every GPL program must link to kernel32.dll, which has usage restrictions covered by the EULA? And to even install/download/copy the software, you will need to interact with built-in Windows software like IE or exporer.exe or cmd.exe or a third party program that also links kernel32.dll.

It feels wrong to deny users access to GPL software because of terms of service applying to the underlying OS. As long as the software itself is available in source form under the GPL (either packaged inside the .ipa, and/or with a link to a page where you can download the source under GPL with no EULA attached) should afford the user all the freedoms of the GPL.

But I guess smarter people than me have decided this is unacceptable, so users can't be allowed the convenience of pre-compiled iOS GPL software?

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Re:List of open source iOS apps by belorn on Wednesday July 13, 2016 @04:45PM (#12089540)

If iOS appstore license only covered Apple software, then we would not be in this situation. The problem is that appstore license cover all software it distribute, and thus goes beyond that of some system library like kernel32.dll.

Both versions of the GPL have an exception to their copyleft, commonly called the system library exception. If the GPL-incompatible libraries you want to use meet the criteria for a system library, then you don't have to do anything special to use them; the requirement to distribute source code for the whole program does not include those libraries, even if you distribute a linked executable containing them.

- https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#SystemLibraryExcep...

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Re:List of open source iOS apps by 0x0 on Wednesday July 13, 2016 @05:57PM (#12089989)

It's a shame the app store isn't considered a system library :-/

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Re:List of open source iOS apps by belorn on Wednesday July 13, 2016 @06:12PM (#12090076)

If appstore was part of every app and the appstore license only covered the appstore part and not the whole app, then that would be an improvement.

But I think it would be easier just to not have apps covered under the appstore license, and only add such license to their own DRM. How effective the legal DRM would be in that case could be discussed, but it would likely identical to consoles and tivo which are both gplv2 compatible. It seems unnecessary when looking at other products with DRM to have a license that cover every program running on them.

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