Re: linphone, still free?

[Ineiev]

On Mon, Oct 28, 2024 at 06:16:07PM +0000, Runciter wrote:
>
> 1) On Android and Guix, the graphical UI asks the user to check a box
> signifying the user accepts some "Terms and Conditions". Interestingly,
> although that may be just an incorrectness of the interface,

It depends on what those terms and conditions are. if they are GPL,
it's fine, <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#ClickThrough>.

> the user
> needs to accept those Terms before he can setup any kind SIP account, be
> it to create an account with Linphone themselves, or to setup linphone
> to work using an existing account with any other SIP provider.

If creating SIP account is about using someone else's server, then
it's a service rather than software, so it has nothing to do with
the package in question being free or proprietary.

> 2) F-Droid claims and warns users that the software has an anti-feature:
> "part of the upstream source code is not free."

This is concerning.  Do they provide any details?

> 3) A few days ago I went quickly to the website of Linphone, which is
> now edited by a company Belledone Communications (this has changed since
> 2002), and I paraphrase from memory: the website advertises that
> Linphone is open source but can be licensed as proprietary for
> enterprise client should they wish, because Belledone enacts a
> double-license mechanism.

As far as I understand, they are selling exceptions, which is
an acceptable practice,
<https://www.gnu.org/p/selling-exceptions.html>.