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Comment by haytamoptika | Hacker News Reader

https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.en.html "However, in many cases you can distribute the GPL-covered software alongside your proprietary system. To do this validly, you must make sure that the free and nonfree programs communicate at arms length, that they are not combined in a way that would make them effectively a single program."

I think you can interact with GPL/AGPL and retain your code propietary by:

- Don't modify the AGPL program.

- Run separatly, using docker container, vm etc

- Interact with CLI, REST API, filesystem, database etc

- Keep the AGPL interaction only to your program, non public consumption, minimum the surface of distirbution the code.

- Keep your code non directly interact, such as avoid use node npm dependencies directly, avoid library linking, use api gateway, use thirdparty module.

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Github may have it wrong then? Their summary says:

> Permissions of this strongest copyleft license are conditioned on making available complete source code of licensed works and modifications, which include larger works using a licensed work, under the same license.

Note the last part: "which include licensed works using a licensed work"

No, GitHub has it exactly right. Ultimately this sort of thing has to be settled in court.

At least in the EU there's some precedent where AGPLv3+ won out, though it was through settlement and not judgement (and it's not super clear how contentious the parties were anyway) [0]

[0]: https://archive.fosdem.org/2021/schedule/event/agplcomplianc...

Yeah I wouldn't rely on their editorializing. It's best to just refer to the FAQ [0], which covers these questions.

[0]: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html

"This License explicitly affirms your unlimited permission to run the unmodified Program."

In the Basic permissions of the actual content of the license https://github.com/minio/minio/blob/master/LICENSE

It's not that difficult to parse if you actually read it top to bottom instead of skimming.

You linked a more general FAQ for the GPL. Would you have a more specific quote or link for interactions with AGPL code?

AFAIK, the difference between AGPL is GPL is on what constitutes "distribution"; what constitutes a "derivative" is still the same.

https://drewdevault.com/2020/07/27/Anti-AGPL-propaganda.html

Thank you!

"In AGPLv3, what counts as 'interacting with [the software] remotely through a computer network?'"

"If the program is expressly designed to accept user requests and send responses over a network, then it meets these criteria. Common examples of programs that would fall into this category include web and mail servers, interactive web-based applications, and servers for games that are played online."

"If a program is not expressly designed to interact with a user through a network, but is being run in an environment where it happens to do so, then it does not fall into this category. For example, an application is not required to provide source merely because the user is running it over SSH, or a remote X session."

[0]: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#AGPLv3InteractingR...

Thank you!

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