[DJ Maze]

OpenSource software is released in many ways with many different licenses. For example look at opensource.org/ which lists loads of them that are approved by the OSI.

GNU came with a license to protect OpenSource code to be ever being embedded into (commercial) closed software. This license is very hard to understand and is interpreted differently by many people for their own good. Due to that the FSF (Free Software Foundation) is started to protect and boost the usage of the GPL with their interpretation.

Normaly the license would fit properly in a world with loads of people that have a common sense. However, these days the majority of users are between the age of 12 and 20 and have never learned about respect and common sense. Due to that the GPL is missused by some and also the tolerence on forums have been going down the drain by people who try to force instant help and support. Some are even worse because they want to try to make money with their website and are very disrespectfull to other members and the rules of a discussion forum.

There are also people that use your code inside their own projects without giving the proper credit. Not because they don't want to, it's because they don't know how. Why? Simple, try to ask a minor if he understands the GPL and if so what in his eyes "proper credits" contains.

Due to that we always ask ourselves:

"To GPL or not to GPL"

Since Downloads Pro is very sophisticated and realy a "state of art" component, this question was very presence in our minds since we wanted to secure the future of the module and that of our users.

If we released it under GPL the following is available:

1. people may modify and distribute it under the same name with all available (security) risks

2. people may convert it for use in other software

3. proper development gets lost due to the current state of 3rd party developers who prefer their own luck vs integrating and discussing their ideas into the current component.

#1 we all know the lifetime of these derivatives

#2 this is cool and is all what GPL is about. however it is also a pain in the ass because the people who convert the component seek support at the original component developers and mostly don't provide support or communicate with the original authors about issues and ideas. If they did then both the conversion and the main project could make a real team to redesign the module to be workable in all software.

#3 can never be stopped because when you work in a team one idea gets approved and the other disapproved due to complications, overhead or another reason. When your idea is disapproved you mostly start your own derivative project because 80% of the time you won't accept disapproval, which is btw normal human behavior.
However, it is proven that these derivatives have a short live and the original developers are stuck with people who are seeking support for a product they didn't make.

Due to these main issues and many others that the GPL brings forward to us, we decided to make our own license which gives all normal users the full freedom to use and modify the opensource for themselves and request free support but, close down derivatives and disrespect of the others to eliminate a scattered working base that will confuse users of what to use on their website.

We try to prevent confusion and getting lost in a world which is already a way to big forest for anyone. There are more webpages and software then you can ever visit or use in your whole lifetime already. So why make this forest even bigger?

Some issues in the world of today are cracking, internet terrorism, phishing, snooping and many other illegal activities. The GPL doesn't prevent the people who participate for using the software so they can and do use the software.
Many server administrators and the police are very outdated when it comes to webcontrol and the knowledge of it. Due to that we, the programmers, get the blame for writing software that is used to promote illegal activities. The Downloads Pro license prevents to use the software for these activities and therefore we can't get the blame for these activities.

If you disagree with us you should consider to try your hope somewhere else since our road and believes should be very clear. We support OpenSource in any way we can, but we also try to abandom the abuse of this hardly understood freedom.