Can closed-source and non-free software be distributed in the RHEL app store
I haven't been able to find the answer to this question anywhere. Hopefully, someone here can help.
I run a software startup that has built an enterprise focused email client (just for MS Exchange and Office 365).
It is cross-platform, Windows / Mac and Linux and we recently got into the Ubuntu Software Store and the reaction has been very positive.
We haven't produced an RPM but did create a Snap (so it will run on Fedora). I'm trying to decide if we should start working on an RPM or Flatpack but without an effective way to distribute on RHEL it would be pointless.
Any help would be appreciated!
Responses
Hi Kevin,
Well, I don't think that there will be a chance to get closed source packages into the official repositories, because Red Hat is strongly and strictly committed to open source software. But what you can do, is package the tool as an .rpm file, which then someone can install via sudo yum localinstall. Please don't forget that the necessary dependencies have to be available in the repositories. Alternatively you can package it as an .appimage file, which includes all the dependencies and also can be run as a standalone.
Cheers :)
Christian
Hi Kevin,
You also have the option of creating and hosting your own RPM repository (and all potential dependencies). That way, you would just need to instruct people to add your repository to their systems (which can be done using a simple package, too).
The advantage of having a repository for hosting your software is, among other things, that you would be able to distribute new versions to users very easily.
Not necessarily Kevin, marketing is another thing - not much different as with ubuntu - users get aware of an application not because it is available in the store, but rather than getting notified on channels like Google+ or on websites like OMG!UBUNTU! ... so this wouldn't be a stopper - right ?
Well Kevin, I think your feeling is right - I checked your product (https://www.hiri.com) and it seems to meet the needs of many enterprises ... and Red Hat products are used by a huge amount of them. When you set up your own 'Hiri repository' or package the application the way I suggested and then write a few posts on enterprise relevant sites, I guess there will be a good chance that a lot of RHEL users may jump on this wagon. By the way, you can promote your product here as well of course. :)
Regards,
Christian
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