Find solution
How do I distribute my software?

How to distribute our software on Linux without shipping source code

  • For our company needs, we need to sell one of our software on *nix-like system. How can we distribute and protect our software ? I know that almost every program on linux is open-source, so how can we protect source code ? Do we need distribute part of source code in object files ? Software written in C.

  • Answer:

    You can distribute your program for Linux just as you would for Windows, by shipping your compiled code with any resources it will use. You don't need to include the source (unless your product is derived from GPL code). Just build without symbols and distribute the binaries. You'll probably want to statically link libraries to make distribution simpler.

twoface88 at Programmers Visit the source

Was this solution helpful to you?

Other answers

There is no requirement to distribute your software as open source. You protect your commercial software with a licence agreement - whether open source or not.

sqlvogel

You can simply build an installer package exactly as you would on windows. Redhat's .rpm and Debian/ubuntus .deb - are basically the same concept as Microsoft's MSI. There are other package formats but almost everybody can use these two. For details of the tools and steps needed to create the packages see: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/library/l-rpm1/ http://www.debian.org/doc/FAQ/ch-pkg_basics.en.html

Martin Beckett

There are many Software companies specializing in the protection of Software. A good sample is the commercial application "GuardIT for Linux" what protects against reverse engineering and tampering: http://www.arxan.com/software-protection-products/embedded-linux-GuardIt/index.php You can also obfuscate part of the code yourself to make reverse engineering a little bit more difficult. Crash course in code obfuscation: http://www.brandonparker.net/code_obf.php

user797717

If making the source code available is impossible (for business reasons), the answer is simple: You ship the compiled binary. This means that you won't be able to leverage the various *nix package managers to handle compilation for you across the platforms you will support, but that's the tradeoff you make by not making your source code available. Otherwise, you use a proprietary/commercial license and trust your users, just like many companies that target commercial code for *nix platforms.

Rein Henrichs

Related Q & A:

Just Added Q & A:

Find solution

For every problem there is a solution! Proved by Solucija.

  • Got an issue and looking for advice?

  • Ask Solucija to search every corner of the Web for help.

  • Get workable solutions and helpful tips in a moment.

Just ask Solucija about an issue you face and immediately get a list of ready solutions, answers and tips from other Internet users. We always provide the most suitable and complete answer to your question at the top, along with a few good alternatives below.