OpenBizBox - closed versus open source code
From time to time customers are expressing confusion regarding the need to go from closed to open source code with their OpenBizBox. Below is a list with some of the questions and their answer.
Question:
I want to change the way my OpenBizBox looks - then I need to have the source code opened, right?
Answer:
No, not necessarily. You are free to change all CSS-files (controlling fonts, colors, etc) and change or replace the graphical elements that controls how backgrounds, logo, bars, buttons and other things without opening the source code.
You only need open source code if you want to make some more radical changes that requires modifications in the PHP-code itself.
Spørgsmål:
Are there any inconveniences when moving from closed to open cource code?
Svar:
Very much so!
- Your OpenBizBox will no longer receive automatic updates. We apply small "service packs" with bugfixes and new functionality from time to time but once you decide to open the source code that has to stop: There is no way for us to test whether our changes may collide with your own changes.
- Support and bugfixing may become a very expensive process indeed. We normally help users free of charge if they think they may have found a bug in OpenBizBox but should we identify the root cause for an error to be within your own changes you will be invoiced the time spent at our standard hourly rates.
- Keeping OpenBizBox up-to-date with the latest changes manually is a job for experienced web developers. We offer a tool to assist you in tracking changes between versions (http://developer.openbizbox.com) but it requires some knowledge of the UNIX commands "patch" and "diff" to use it. Also, it is strongly recommended that all patches are tested against your own changes on a local server running a compatible UNIX-variant before comitting them to the production environment.
Alternatively you are of course welcome to keep your OpenBizBox running the way it was just before changing it to open source.
Question:
Can I change my OpenBizBox back to closed source?
Answer:
Yes, but at a very steep price: ALL your changes are deleted! in addition to that, there is a monetary price to pay for the procedure, as well as a fee should you decide to go open source again at a later point.
Question:
Using the diff-tool mentioned above I can see that I haven't changed any of the files that you have changed in later versions. Why can't you just apply the automatic updates to my OpenBizBox then?
Answer:
PHP-files are not independent, isolated entities but includes results from the execution of other files in their work. Hence, it is not sufficient to check for changes in specific files; we need to check if the files we have changed rely on data calculated by files that you have changed.
It is literally impossible to perform these checks automatically with a sufficient degree of reliablity so the only absolutely certain outcome is that we at some point will shred your OpenBizBox to a million pieces if we try that kind of updates.
And it will happen the day before your ridiculously expensive advertising campaign is aired.
Just before Christmas.
With 400 Christmas presents in your order list.
Three of which is from your Mother-In-Law.
And the rest are from Grandparents to innocent, starry-eyed children.
That was the long version. The short version: Not on our lives!
Question:
Isn't it illegal to close the source code when the project originates from GPL-licensed code?
Answer:
In this case the term "closed source" only refers to your ability to change the source code that comprises your OpenBizBox on our server.
You are free to download a copy of the source code and tweak it silly in any way you like but in order to prevent problems with the automatic updates of your OpenBizBox it is impossible to upload the changed files to our server. The term "write protected source code" would perhaps be more accurate.