About Simple Machines

Navigation

Simple Machines and Open Source

From time to time we get asked why Simple Machines software isn't released under a license certified by the Open Source Initiative. The point can be made that Simple Machines software isn't Open Source as described by the OSI. But on the other hand you can do nearly the same things with our software that you can with an OSI certified project.

You can modify the source code, distribute instructions to modify it, you can view the code and suggest improvements to it.


However you may not:

  1. Modify the copyright notice displayed.
  2. Redistribute the forum/software itself, without written permission.

These two issues popped up on our radar screen when the project was still called YaBB SE and was released under a GPL license. They were mostly caused by people misunderstanding the terms in that license, but there were also several incidents where people misused the license and basically stole the hard work of our volunteers so they could package it as their own.

Obviously this caused quite the uproar with the dedicated people who make this project possible. So it was decided that Simple Machines should have its own license that would keep the ideas of Open Source alive but would fully protect the rights of the team as copyright owners. All of this was done in conjunction with a copyright lawyer to guarantee the legality of the Simple Machines License.

Sometimes people ask us: Why do you care that people are redistributing it? and the reason is that although we believe in giving back to the Open Source community, we also believe that the volunteers that make up this project deserve the credit. On top of that, allowing unlimited redistribution encourages project forking and could lead to confusion about what versions are supported. By maintaining and allowing only a single version of each of our products, we can ensure the integrity of the code base while making sure that the quality of each product is maintained. So, you could say that everyone wins from it.

Don't forget that redistribution is allowed if you have written permission. For example, SMF is currently distributed through Lycos' 1Click! Service, GoDaddy and Fantastico. If you would like to redistribute Simple Machines software, please email us.

Conclusion

Simple Machines provides you with software that you can modify and improve as you see fit, but you cannot redistribute the entire modified package unless you have a written permission. You can only distribute the instructions on how to modify the source code. Under no circumstances would you be allowed to alter or delete the copyright, just as you wouldn't be allowed to do that if it was released under GPL. But see our software as Open Source, we have outlined the playing field of what you can and cannot do a bit more clearly.