Distros

[Quigs]

I would like to eventually create a ReactOS distro with some apps I like on it.
Would it be legal from to include Google's Picassa and Desktop search in it?

[Erlenmayr]

You should ask the developers of Google's app to be sure. Maybe you are not allowed to put it on your ReactOS-CD, but you can make a little tool which will automatically download it from the internet.

You should include GNU software like Gnome Office (Abiword runs on ReactOS) etc. I don't know, if the GIMP runs. That would be a good program für the distribution as well.

[Headstrong]

I am not sure you would have to look carefully at the End User License Agreement for Picasa and google search.

[Quigs]

I was wondering if there was anything in open source licenses preventing me from distributing it with a non open source program

[Luemmel]

most linux distributions (like debian) avoid including non GPL software in their packages...
read http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/gpl.html for details

[oiaohm]

Suse ships with closed source parts.

Note there is nothing wrong with it.

Common sence has to be used.

Does the Closed source section contain spyware if yes no you do not ship with a distro because it will turn you name to mud(wish Microsoft had followed this one).

Will you be depending on the Closed sourced section in future versions if yes do not ship. Reason open source you can put a team together and keep on working but closed you cannot and people get verry upset when it had one program X version and the Next had to be removed due to licence change.

And read the fine point of Closed source even some half opensource licences the pains only let you download them not distro them.

It is fine to ship Closed and Opensource on a disk but be verry careful with the licences some have traps. And some companys have a bad habbit of this is free this version and you have to pay the next or next version not be distro compad.

As long as you break no licences you are fine legally. But legal is only half the other is treatment of users. Users don't like spyware or personal use only licences Business users get verry upset over both.

[Dr. Fred]

My Debian does have a special dir called non-free where thinks like nvidea driver fit in.

But another thing. Why do you want to create a distro. Of cause Linux has it's distros. But that's because Linux is only the kernel and no apps, not even glibc ... OSes like FreeBSD don't have distros.

I understand that peoble want to do something related with ros, but it's better to improve the real think then having lots of distros....