/****************************************************************************
**
** Documentation about Open Source Edition.
**
** Copyright (C) 1992-2007 Trolltech ASA. All rights reserved.
**
** This file is part of the Qt GUI Toolkit.
** EDITIONS: FREE, PROFESSIONAL, ENTERPRISE
**
** This file is provided AS IS with NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING THE
** WARRANTY OF DESIGN, MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
**
****************************************************************************/

/*! 
    \page opensourceedition.html

    \title Qt Open Source Edition
    \ingroup licensing
    \brief Information about the license and features of the Open Source Edition.

    Free (or open source) software is software that comes with a license
    that gives users certain rights. In particular the right to use the
    software, to modify it, to obtain its source, and to pass it on (under
    the same terms). Notice that the term "free" is about rights, not
    money. The Free Software Foundation (creators of the GNU GPL) speaks
    of free in this context as in "free speech", not as in "no cost".

    Trolltech supports the free software concept by providing the Qt Open Source
    Edition. You can use this edition of Qt to create free software, i.e.
    software that is licensed under the GNU GPL or a similarly recognized
    open source license. Trolltech's support of open source with the Qt Open
    Source Edition has enabled large successful software projects like KDE to
    thrive, with thousands of developers around the world using Qt Open Source
    Edition at no cost to themselves. With the release of Qt 4, Qt Open Source
    Edition is available for Unix/X11, Mac OS X, and Windows.
    \omit
    A separate Edition of Qt is also available for embedded Linux.
    \endomit

    The Open Source Edition can be downloaded from
    \l{Downloads}{Trolltech's website}.

    It is also possible to develop commercial software using Qt: but to do
    so you must buy a commercial license for one of the \l{Qt Commercial Editions}.
    If you buy a commercial edition of Qt you can sell your software for any
    price and with any license you like. Thousands of commercial companies
    use the commercial edition of Qt to develop the products they sell.

    If you use the Qt Open Source Edition, there are certain licensing
    conditions that the GNU GPL imposes on you, to ensure that your users
    enjoy the freedoms guaranteed by the GPL. Users are entitled to:

    \list 1
    \o Run your software for any purpose.
    \o Obtain and study your software's source code, and adapt it to their
       needs.
    \o Redistribute your software and its source code to others (under the
       same terms).
    \o Improve or modify your software, and release these changes to the
       public.
    \endlist

    These freedoms apply to all the source code for all the modules your
    software is based on, regardless of whether they have been written by
    you or by others. The freedoms also apply to any associated interface
    definition files, and even include the scripts and control files used
    to control compilation and installation of the executable; otherwise
    users could not exercise their rights.

    This means that you cannot use a Qt Open Source Edition if your software
    must be built with any modules that impose conditions on you that
    contradict the conditions of the GNU GPL, including, but not limited
    to, software patents, commercial license agreements, copyrighted
    interface definitions or any sort of non-disclosure agreement. In
    these circumstances you must use a commercial edition of Qt.

    See the \l{License FAQ} for answers to frequently asked questions
    on Qt Open Source Edition licensing and its implications.

    More information on Free and Open Source software is available online:

    \list
    \o GNU GPL: \l http://www.gnu.org/.
    \o Open Source licensing: \l http://www.opensource.org/.
    \endlist

    Information about Qt Commercial License Agreements is available
    in the \l{Qt Licensing Overview} on Trolltech's web site or by email
    from \l{mailto:sales@trolltech.com}{sales@trolltech.com}.

    If you are in doubt what edition of Qt is right for your project,
    please contact
    \l{mailto:info@trolltech.com}{info@trolltech.com}.

*/
