How does the GPL work in regards to languages like Dart which compile to other languages?

Posted by Peter-W on Programmers See other posts from Programmers or by Peter-W
Published on 2012-08-22T13:17:40Z Indexed on 2012/08/29 21:51 UTC
Read the original article Hit count: 367

Filed under:

JavaScript

|

licensing

|

web-applications

|

gpl

|

dart

Google's Dart language is not supported by any Web Browsers other than a special build of Chromium known as Dartium. To use Dart for production code you need to run it through a Dart->JavaScript compiler/translator and then use the outputted JavaScript in your web application.

Because JavaScript is an interpreted language everyone who receives the "binary"(Aka, the .js file) has also received the source code.

Now, the GNU General Public License v3.0 states that:

"The “source code” for a work means the preferred form of the work for making modifications to it."

Which would imply that the original Dart code in addition to the JavaScript code must also be provided to the end user. Does this mean that any web applications written in Dart must also provide the original Dart code to all visitors of their website even though a copy of the source code has already been provided in a human readable/writable/modifiable form?

© Programmers or respective owner

Related posts about JavaScript

CHAT ROOMs 7 by 6

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
I am looking for chatroom on one page with 7 loggedin users and 6+rows for say 42 users.these users will keep on adding wthnew users.Need urgent help.A PRETTY UNUSUAL Q FOR MOST OF U.What is MORE REQ new features: Usernames are unique to users currently chatting You can see a "currently chatting"… >>> More
Integrating JavaScript Unit Tests with Visual Studio

as seen on Stephen Walter - Search for 'Stephen Walter'
Modern ASP.NET web applications take full advantage of client-side JavaScript to provide better interactivity and responsiveness. If you are building an ASP.NET application in the right way, you quickly end up with lots and lots of JavaScript code. When writing server code, you should be writing… >>> More
Has Javascript developed beyond what it was originally designed to do?

as seen on Programmers - Search for 'Programmers'
I've been talking with a friend about the purpose of Javascript, when and how it should be used, etc. He quoted that: JavaScript was designed to add interactivity to HTML pages [...] JavaScript gives HTML designers a programming tool HTML authors are normally not programmers… >>> More
PHP, javascript, single quote problems with IE when passing variable from ajax post to javascript fu

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
Hi! I have been trying to get this to work for a while, and I suspect there's an easy solution that I just can't find. My head feels like jelly and I would really appreciate any help. My main page.php makes a .post() to backend.php and fetches a list of cities which it echoes in the form of: <li… >>> More
Javascript in XSL that is loaded by Javascript

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
Is there anyway to have javascript run when a XSL sheet has been applied to an XML file by Javascript? I am using a JQuery plugin to apply the sheet to the xml but the javascript that is located inside of the XSL file will not run. I put the Javascript at the bottom of the file and it still does… >>> More

Related posts about licensing

Windows Server 2008 / SQL 2008 Licensing for Authenticated Web Application

as seen on Server Fault - Search for 'Server Fault'
Hello, I'm trying to crunch some numbers to see what the software costs involved are for hosting an application we are developing. Users will not be anonymous - they will need to log in. SQL Server 2008: SQL Server licensing is easy - it will be licensed per-processor. No real fuss there. The… >>> More
Copy protection and licensing tools.

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
I'm new to stackoverflow.com after hearing about it from Jon Skeet on DotNetRocks.This seems like the perfect place to ask this question. I am in the middle of trying to find a 3rd party Copy protection and licensing tool. The company that I work with have 4 products that need to be protected. We… >>> More
Don't Forget About Software Licensing

as seen on Internet.com - Search for 'Internet.com'
Is your company developing software for sale or distribution? If yes, your company needs a sales policy and a flexible, commercially feasible licensing model. >>> More
Need help with software licensing? Read on…

as seen on Geeks with Blogs - Search for 'Geeks with Blogs'
Figuring out which software licensing options best suit your needs while being cost-effective can be confusing. Some businesses end up making their purchases through retail stores which means they miss out on volume licensing opportunities and others may unknowingly be using unlicensed software which… >>> More
Can I use `UnlockCommercialFeatures` for developing Java applications without a commercial license?

as seen on Programmers - Search for 'Programmers'
As of Java 7 Update 40, Oracle is now including Java Mission Control in the JDK. Being always interested in a new profiling tool, I decided to check it out. However, trying to start Flight Recorder against a process, I get the following error, Now I'm getting cold feet about adding the JVM option… >>> More