Legal and Licensing

This document provides common legal and licensing questions and answers for Appcelerator Studio.

Can I make changes, add to, or combine Aptana products with other things and and redistribute the result?

You can change any of Aptana Studio's GPL'd source code and create derivative works as long as everything you add or change is all licensed under the GPLv3 and made publicly available.

Can I redistribute Aptana Studio as is, without any modifications?

Yes. If you just want to redistribute the software as is, in source or binary form, commercially or as open source, you are free to do so under the terms of the GPL.

Can I repackage Aptana Studio and distribute it?

Yes, the GPL explicitly permits you to do so but your derivative work must also be released under the GPL 3 or later license. If you need to make modifications, add or remove plugins or otherwise create a work based on Aptana Studio or Jaxer, and you cannot make those changes available under the GPL, contact us for a commercial license.

Do I need to pay a license fee for using Aptana Studio to develop a commercial web site?

You do not need to pay a license fee if you use Aptana Studio to develop a commercial web site.

Does the GPL v3 affect my existing work that I developed under other licenses?

Any code you write and own copyright to, which is not a work based on Aptana Studio code, can be distributed in any manner under any license. However, for example, if you create and distribute a combination of your own code with Aptana Studio or Jaxer, or you otherwise create a work based on an Aptana product, then the whole work must be GPL'd or you must obtain a separate license from Aptana.

If I make modifications or customizations to Aptana products for internal use, must I make these changes publicly available?

No. If you keep these modifications internal to your organization, you do not have to make your changes publicly available. If you wish to redistribute the modifications outside of your organization, you must either contact Aptana for a commercial license or release it under the GPL.

May I develop commercial web sites using Aptana Studio?

Yes, you may develop both personal and commercial web sites using Aptana Studio

Why does Aptana use a dual licensing model?

Aptana wants to make our products available to everyone, and we want to continue to make the source code available and encourage outside contributions.

By adopting a dual license model, Aptana can remain open source and encourage the freedom of development and contribution that has made us who we are. In addition, it makes it easier to use our software in situations where the GPL is not an option.

The dual licensing model sustains both innovation and growth. If a company sells a version of Aptana Studio , or a work based on it, and cannot contribute the code back to the community, we ask that they contact us for a commercial license. On the other hand, developers that want to create better open-source software can continue to do so under the GPL and ensure that everyone benefits from each other's contributions.