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Hi I'm new in Ubuntu and i have one question.

In this post: Can I legally use Ubuntu Server to create a commercial web application on Amazon EC2? some one ask "Can Ubuntu Server on Amazon EC2 be used as a host OS for commercial web application?" But my question is:

Can I use Ubuntu as operating system do make my own commercial application (commercial closed license) for an example in Java? Spring? Groovy? Grails? Anything else?

CCC
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The answer: Yes.

Ubuntu is an operating system, just like Windows, and just like you can create open source software on Windows, you can create closed (and open) software on Ubuntu - just because the operating system is open sourced doesn't mean everything is open sourced.

While selling it isn't really your question, it is indeed possible to sell commercial, closed source software in Ubuntu.

Yes, you can distribute proprietary software through Ubuntu by joining the Ubuntu Application Developer programme. In some cases the software is provided without a charge, and the developer makes money through advertising or upsells. In other cases a software license is sold to the user giving them rights to the software. Both systems are allowed in the Developer Programme.

via the Ubuntu Developer portals commercial software FAQ

jrg
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  • It is not completely clear from the question, but if the free software OS is part of the commercial application (e.g. an embedded system is sold which runs a closed source app on top of Ubuntu), then I guess the OS source code has to be delivered along with the whole application/embedded system, right? – xubuntix Jan 25 '12 at 18:27
  • @xubuntix for that, I point you to this question - http://askubuntu.com/questions/219/under-what-license-is-ubuntu-can-it-be-legally-modified-and-distributed – jrg Jan 25 '12 at 18:28