Re: Oracle Java license question
On 1/26/2015 9:48 AM, Sebastian wrote:
I find license agrrements in English legal terms hard to understand.
Does anyone know: Am I allowed to take the source code of a Java class
included in Oracle JDK 8 SE, copy it to a new class, modify that new
class, and distribute the .class-file with a closed-source commercial
product? If so, under what conditions?
"I. SOURCE CODE. Software may contain source code that, unless
expressly licensed for other purposes, is provided solely for
reference purposes pursuant to the terms of this Agreement.
Source code may not be redistributed unless expressly provided
for in this Agreement."
.... so I think the question would hinge on the extent and nature of your
modifications. If you start with a thousand-line .java file, keep five
lines and replace the rest with your own work, you're probably fine.
But if the modifications are small and/or trivial, you're very likely
in trouble. See Jerry Stuckle's response.
However, I'd suggest taking a step back: *Why* do you think this
would be a desirable thing to do, if allowed? Can you explain why the
usual O-O ways of doing things (extension, composition) do not suffice
in your case? Why is the inherently risky "re-use by copy'n'paste" an
attractive proposition? What problem are you trying to solve?
--
esosman@comcast-dot-net.invalid
"Don't be afraid of work. Make work afraid of you." -- TLM