General

Q: What does it mean that Servoy is now open source?

A: The open sourcing of several of the Servoy products means that the (Java) source code has been made publicly available. This allows (Java) developers to take a peak peek at the code, come up with improvements, new features and fixes.

Q: Is the entire codebase of Servoy made Open Source?

A: No, the source of the following Servoy products has products has been made available:

• Servoy Developer plugin plugins for Eclipse
• Servoy Smart Client
• Servoy Web Client
• Servoy Headless Client

Q: Under which license is Servoy licensed?

A: All Servoy products are licensed under the "Servoy Binary Code License" for commercial usage. Secondly, the source code of the Servoy Developer plugin for Eclipse, the Servoy Smart Client, Servoy Web Client and Servoy Headless Client is licences under the AGPL.

Q: Does open source mean I can now use it for free?

A: The open sourcing of several Servoy products doesn't make it a free product. For both development and deployment with Servoy, the Servoy Application Server is required, which is available under the "Servoy Binary Code License".  does not influence the pricing model. Servoy has a free version of its product (Servoy Community Edition) that is free for non-commercial use (evaluating, testing, building free software) for up to 5 users. For commercial use Servoy offers several pricing schemes.

Q: Where can I find more information on the Pricing Models for Servoy products?

A: See servoy.com/pricing

Q: Servoy is open

...

sourced under AGPL. Does that mean I have to release my product developed in Servoy under AGPL as well?

A: No, Servoy offers its products under a dual license. When the "Servoy Binary Code License" is used, solutions created with Servoy can be released under any license.

Q: Can I use Servoy for free if I release my product developed in Servoy under AGPL as well?

No, currently to develop or deploy with Servoy, the Servoy Application Server is required, which is not available under AGPL

A: The Servoy Community Edition allows you to develop at no cost if your product is released under AGPL. For deployment it will depend on the usage, if the usage is free and the product is non commercial, up to 5 users can use it for free. In other scnario's a commercial license is required.

If your product contributes to the Servoy community or is used by a non profit humanitarian organization it may qualify for an unlimited free usage, contact us to find if your product qualifies.

Q: Who maintains the sourcecode?

A: Servoy maintains the codebase. 3rd party developers can contribute by providing patches. See How to contributeContribute for more information.

For Servoy Developers

Q: What will change for me?

A: Nothing will change for change immediately for development and deployment with the Servoy. 

For Java Developers

Q: Where can I get the source?

A: The source is available in SVN. For details, see [Setting up the development environment|Setting up the development environment].

Can I get commit access
Currently, it is not possible to get direct commit access, but we encourage developers to supply patches.

Can I contribute patches for bugs and/or new feature implementations?
Yes, we encourage developers who implement new features and fix bugs to supply patches. For more information see [How to contribute|How to contribute].

see Setting Up

Q: What are my obligations if I modify the source code and use it?

A: The AGPL does not require that modifications are published, as long as they are used privatelyused privately/internally. But if the modified version of the source code is used in other scenario's than private/internal use, the AGPL requires that the modified version of the source code is made publicly available. 

The addition in AGPL over GPL is that this also goes for server-side usage: if the modified version is running on the server, but used in any way by any sort of client beyond personal/internal use, the modified version of the source code needs to be made publicly available as well.

The modified source code needs to be at least downloadable for for anyone who who wishes to do so, not restricted in any way.

Q: Can I get commit access

A: Currently, it is not possible to get direct commit access, but we encourage developers to supply patches.

Q: Can I contribute patches for bugs, improvements and/or new feature implementations?

A: Yes, we encourage developers who implement new features, improvements and fix bugs to supply patches. For more information see How to Contribute.

For plugin/bean Developers

Q: If I commit patches, do I remain the owner?

A: No, in order for your patches to be merged into the Servoy maintained source code, you are required to transfer the ownership to Servoy. For more information see How to Contribute.

For Plugin/Bean Developers

Q: I'm a plugin/bean developer: Do I have to release my plugins and beans under AGLP now as well?

A: No, Servoy has added an exception within the AGPL to accommodate plugin and bean developers to release their products under any license, without conflicting with the AGPL license 

About the AGPL License

What does the AGPL license mean?
Why AGPL and not something else?

Source

----------------------
Open Source with commercial plugins
Credits for patcheslicense.

Q: Can I call every function in any class from within my plugin/bean now that the code is open source?

A: While all code is exposed, there is still the official public Java API that should be used from within plugins and beans. Besides that fact that the plugin/bean that relies on non-public classes/functions might break in future versions, it also would require the plugin/bean to be released under AGPL. See the public Java API here .

About the AGPL License

Q: Where can I find more information on AGPL?

A: See http://www.gnu.org/licenses/licenses.html