# Why GNU License?
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-gnu-license/2531
**Category:** Development
**Created:** [2월 9, 2013, 5:08오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-gnu-license/2531 "2013-02-09T05:08:53Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@baus](https://meta.discourse.org/u/baus)
#### Post date: [2월 21, 2013, 6:49오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-gnu-license/2531/44 "2013-02-21T18:49:27Z")
Thanks for the clarification. IMHO GPL2 is unclear when it comes to assets distributed to the client including JS, HTML, CSS, images, etc. For server software like SQL Servers, Web Servers, OSes, etc., this is much more obvious, and there is a ton of precedence for companies doing this. Again see Google.
In that regard, I think your licensing strategy is very reasonable.
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### Author:  [@lightweight](https://meta.discourse.org/u/lightweight)
#### Post date: [7월 14, 2015, 2:46오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-gnu-license/2531/45 "2015-07-14T02:46:47Z")
Freedom is a matter of perspective. A license that is 'free-er" for exploitation by business, is not freer from a user’s perspective. The GPL is specifically about ensuring freedom for _the user_, where the implicit assumption is that the user and developer can and must be interchangeable. From a user’s perspective, the GPL is certainly freer, in that it guarantees their freedom to use the software and derived (and distributed) works.
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### Author:  [@William\_Yeung](https://meta.discourse.org/u/William_Yeung)
#### Post date: [3월 18, 2019, 12:15오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-gnu-license/2531/46 "2019-03-18T12:15:59Z")
I want to understand the implication of GPL - if I wanna modify discourse for my own website to actually include some features for my particular use case, but I am not selling / distributing the code, is it legally allowed?
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### Author:  [@hellekin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/hellekin)
#### Post date: [3월 18, 2019, 12:26오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-gnu-license/2531/47 "2019-03-18T12:26:54Z")
Yes. The GPL does not restrict your freedom, it protects it.
That said, most of the time you do not need to make changes to Discourse core, you can as well [write a plugin](https://meta.discourse.org/t/beginners-guide-to-creating-discourse-plugins/30515) for it. And this plugin has no license obligation if you don’t want to distribute it.
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### Author:  [@William\_Yeung](https://meta.discourse.org/u/William_Yeung)
#### Post date: [3월 18, 2019, 12:55오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-gnu-license/2531/48 "2019-03-18T12:55:41Z")
Hi hellekin,
So you mean yes I don’t need to distribute my changes as long as I am not selling discourse right? My use case is quite complicated so not very certain if plugin would be sufficient.
William
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### Author:  [@hellekin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/hellekin)
#### Post date: [3월 18, 2019, 1:09오후 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-gnu-license/2531/49 "2019-03-18T13:09:58Z")
Yes right. Before diving into Discourse core changes, I’d try the plugin way because you’d have to maintain your own fork otherwise, which might prove much harder in the end. Maybe you should take the time to have a chat with the Discourse team on a consulting basis before doing that: they might be able to guide you through the plugin way or find ways that won’t require you to maintain your own fork.
[이전 페이지](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-gnu-license/2531.md?page=2)