Darwin? Open Source? OS-X? Please explain

[spacerunner75]

I´ve read that all OS-X started out on a Darwin / FreeBSD based source. Now, how are things? In my mind, open source is and stays open source. No? So what about OS-X? Hmmmm, strange thing. Seems like a strange mixture between open source and closed source? what is it? Can someone who really knows about the issue maybe Post some Article here on the Site? Maybe even Sticky or as Article on osx86project.org?

 

To me, it doesnt really make sense to have a feeling of doing "half-illegal" things here. How many open source developers worked on FreeBSD over the years? How come Apple takes the code and sells it? Am I wrong? I´m sure someone will know better than me.

 

I dont really want to start a discussion here, I´m rather interested in the legal facts. Also, I appoligize: I dont really know a lot about OS-X yet, neither Apple. I plan on trying it out anyway within the next couple month. But, I used work as programmer for a long time and love the open source idea. I also run linux, so you know where to put me.

[R. Bear Helms]

Linux is GPL, or Gnu Public Licensed. This means the source code is open and you may adapt it to other hardware ONLY IF you fully disclose what you modified, so others may benefit.

 

BSD is public domain, or free use, which means anybody can rewrite it to fit one specific need and sell it! It's like making a new version of Romeo & Juliet - the original work is no longer copyrighted, and therefore if all you do is change a few lines of dialog, you still can make big bucks producing it and charging people to see.

 

BSD was developed with public funds, and therefore there is no entity to hold copy rights. Its source was published and is open, but every modification Apple made to fit it to their platform, add their GUI, etc., etc., is all proprietary.

 

That's why public domain open source sucks, and why GPL is the real means to share and enjoy enhancements. The latter basically insists you do that - exception being when you write a compatible app for Linux, since it's an original work and only uses an interface description, that too can become privitized.