If I change a GUI in Discourse, am I infringing something nice?

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AI-generated summary

A user, anon40545810, is considering modifying the graphical interface of Discourse to make it resemble a chat platform for use in an intranet, citing alternatives to Sharepoint, Slack, Discord, and Whatsapp Web. They shared some design inspirations and asked if changing the GUI would be infringing on something.

Falco suggested exploring pure chat software like Element, Mattermost, and Rocket Chat, and mentioned an upcoming Discourse chat plugin. Falco also clarified that “infringing something nice” might imply a legal concern, pointing out that Discourse is licensed under GPL-2, which should be reviewed by company lawyers.

merefield noted that customizing Discourse’s look and feel is common, referencing the #theme category.

1

I really believe in the potential of open source tools, I would like to know if I could change the graphical interface of Discourse so that Discourse looks like chat. I am creating an intranet and for that reason I would like to use Discourse as an alternative to Sharepoint/Slack/Discord/Whatsapp Web.

Some ideas that I think would be good visually for that purpose to be fulfilled:

if anyone can read and clarify this question, I would be happy for the answer: If I change a GUI in Discourse, am I infringing something nice?

2

If you want a pure chat solution, I’d first try using a pure chat software, like https://element.io/, Mattermost, https://rocket.chat/ and similar ones.

We are also working on a side chat plugin, so keep an eye on that too: Introducing Discourse Chat (PRE-ALPHA).

Do you mean infringing in the legal sense? Discourse is licensed under GPL-2 so you should check with your company lawyers.

3

It is normal for people to change the L&F of Discourse, just take a look through Customization > Theme