[PyKDE] commercial PyQt software ?

[Phil Thompson]

Yannick Gingras wrote:
> 
> Since PyQt is provided for the commercial version of Qt, I supose I can write
> a commercial application with PyQt.  Can I do this with the regular version
> of PyQt ?

Yes, but if you want to sell your application then each of your users
will have to have their own copy of the commercial version of Qt.

If you buy the Professional Edition of BlackAdder then you get
re-distribution rights for the copy of Qt that is part of BlackAdder.
Your users get a license to use that copy with your application but for
no other purpose.

> Is PyQt's licence more analogue to the GPL or to the LGPL ?

Neither - the current license is based on the X11 license.

However, I am thinking of changing the PyQt license. At the moment
anybody can do anything they want with PyQt - but you are restricted by
what you can do with Qt. In a sense the "liberal" nature of the PyQt
license is a waste of time. I am considering adopting, exactly, Qt's
license model. This will not impose any restrictions on anybody, but
would allow me to start charging for commercial use of PyQt. The only
people affected would be those who already pay Trolltech for a license -
so they would effectively also have to pay a "Python tax". The cost
would be a small percentage (say 20%) of a Qt license.

The purpose of this is not to allow me to retire to a beach somewhere,
but to make it easier for me to keep up with Trolltech's work (eg. a
MacOS X port) without having to beg for handouts.

Phil