Author Hi, I've downloaded a recent android app called NCM - Next Chess Move and it states that it uses stockfish on the device. I've did some digging up and it seems it's true, it's calculating moves even when the internet is off,Being interested in chess and studies this in the past I though then , because of the licensing for Stockfish, the source code for this app must be public right ? And if that is the case, any way I could find the source code for this app ?The license for Stockfish is GPLv3.  Author I'm  interested in this since I've been toying with the idea of creating a closed source 3D chess game and would be so much better to use Stockfish locally than on a server. Can anyone point in the right direction, please ?  Advertisement The author of NCM should be able to point you in the right direction Note that GPL affects all software around it. If you combine it with other software, the other software then carries the GPL license as well.In other words you cannot leverage GPL software and wrap it in closed source without also publishing the code of the closed source. It's tricky. There are ways to mix GPL and non-GPL software, but it needs a good lawyer who is comfortable with software generally and the nuance of the GPL specifically.It is tricky but possible to build up non-free tools and software that rely heavily on F/OSS systems, including GPL systems. For example, they might build a standalone chess engine and release the engine portions and interface under the terms of the GPL, and also have their UI and front-end that interfaces with it which they sell. There would need to be a clear, clean break between them, but it is possible to do and has been done on a few projects.I don't see them under an LGPL license, but those are similarly able to co-exist with proper lawyer involvement. Companies like EA have a page where they distribute the libraries with source and the implementation changes they made. Author Is it possible then to use Stockfish: 1. On a server and distribute the server code ?2. Build a binary framework, link to that and only distribute the binary framework if building an app with it ? Advertisement I am not a lawyer and cannot answer if any specific way is sufficient to avoid a lawsuit.The license is trying very hard to make it impossible to use the software in a non-free/open source context.  If you want to do it anyway and be legally safe, talk to a lawyer.Alternatively, don't go there. Yup, it's generally best to be 100% in or 100% out unless you have careful legal reviews by experienced lawyers. Working with GPL, release it all GPL and you are safe. Not touching anything with GPL, release it without source as a proprietary system and you are safe. It is possible to mix them, but only when you have lawyers involved asking difficult questions about the details. No lawyers, don't mix it.  GPL does not demand you reveal source code when the program is only interacted with over the internet. It only demands you publish the entire source code to the person whose machine it is running on, basically (besides granting the right to run, modify, publish, and publish modified versions und the same license). Also, as soon as you use a GPL component in a project, the entire project needs to be GPL, but you may use sub-components in the parent project that are non-GPL (such as MIT). But the overall parent project must be under a GPL license.If you want a GPL license that also enforces the open-sourcing when interacted with over the network, choose AGPL. You can use GPL dependencies in an AGPL parent project, but you cannot use AGPL dependencies in a GPL parent project. There is also the LGPL which is a bit less ideologically strict.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Windows 11-like AnduinOS 1.4 and 1.5 LTS plans revealed Paul Hill Neowin @ziks_99 · May 24, 2025 07:46 EDT The sole developer behind AnduinOS, a Windows-like Linux distribution, has revealed the path forward in terms of the upcoming releases. Anduin Xue revealed that AnduinOS 1.4 will be based on Ubuntu 25.10 and will arrive in late-October, while AnduinOS 1.5 will be based on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and arrive in late April 2026. This Linux distribution has caught some significant attention recently. With the impending death of Windows 10, users that want to keep older devices running may choose to switch to Linux. With AnduinOS, they get a distribution that looks similar to Windows 11, reducing the learning curve. AnduinOS 1.4, just like version 1.3, will not be an LTS, but AnduinOS 1.5 will be, so that’s going to be the best for people who don’t want to keep reinstalling the operating system. The developer said that he’s aware of the issues people have with AnduinOS, such as the inability to smoothly update from AnduinOS 1.2 to 1.3, but said resources are limited, though, we can expect improvements in the future. This year, the project has extensive improvements planned, with the primary goal being to establish its own apt software repository that can manage all changes directly through dpkg. By doing this, it will simplify the process of using apt for system updates and will give users the option to smoothly transition to future AnduinOS releases. It’s expected that this will be available experimentally in AnduinOS 1.4 and fully implemented in AnduinOS 1.5. AnduinOS is not only trying to become just another Linux distribution, it has ambitions to set itself apart too. One of its objectives is to modularize and consolidate system components so that users can pick to add or remove features such as app stores, GNOME Shell, professional tools, container technologies, and WSL through “layered combinations.” It will also compile more of the system core components to give users more customization options. By the time of AnduinOS 1.5, it’s expected that there will be a Server and Lite Edition of AnduinOS. The Lite Edition will provide a basic GNOME Shell environment with only a little bit of pre-installed software so that it’s not bloated. There are no plans to charge for any of these editions and they’ll remain under the GPLv3 license. Another feature AnduinOS could offer in the future is a versatile customization tool and builder for Linux distributions. It said that this could cater to users looking for an ISO that meets all their personal requirements within a Live environment; Live environments are run directly from the installation media without Linux being installed on your computer. Regarding AI features, Anduin Xue said that they could be selectively integrated in future versions to give users more functionality. He specifically mentioned system-level MCP, which Microsoft recently added to Windows 11. For users who do not like artificial intelligence, AnduinOS says these features will be easily removable. Due to the fact that Anduin Xue is based in China (he's also a Microsoft employee), some people have raised concerns about whether the project is linked to the Chinese government in any way. Here’s what he had to say about transparency: “We are aware of concerns that AnduinOS might become influenced or controlled by particular governments or institutions. Therefore, transparency remains a top priority in our development process. We commit to fully disclosing all source code, development progress, planning, and even details about our team composition. Efforts will be made to establish a diverse, globally distributed team communicating primarily in English to foster open collaboration and community building.” If this is the first time you’ve heard about AnduinOS, be sure to check out Neowin’s coverage of the latest version, AnduinOS 1.3. Tags Report a problem with article Follow @NeowinFeed

Code::Blocks C/C++ IDE 25.03 Released / News / May 13, 2025 / Code::Blocks is an open source (GPL v3 licensed) cross-platform (Windows, Linux and MacOS) C, C++ and Fortran IDE. You could be forgiven for thinking the project was dead as the last binary release was in 2020! Thankfully this is not the case as a little over a month back Code::Blocks 25.03 was released. Features of Code::Blocks include: Highlights: Open Source! GPLv3, no hidden costs. Cross-platform. Runs on Linux, Mac, Windows (uses wxWidgets). Written in C++. No interpreted languages or proprietary libs needed. Extensible through plugins Compiler: Multiple compiler support: GCC (MingW / GNU GCC) MSVC++ clang Digital Mars Borland C++ 5.5 Open Watcom …and more Very fast custom build system (no makefiles needed) Support for parallel builds (utilizing your CPU’s extra cores) Multi-target projects Workspaces to combine multiple projects Inter-project dependencies inside workspace Imports MSVC projects and workspaces (NOTE: assembly code not supported yet) Imports Dev-C++ projects Debugger: Interfaces GNU GDB Also supports MS CDB (not fully featured) Full breakpoints support: Code breakpoints Data breakpoints (read, write and read/write) Breakpoint conditions (break only when an expression is true) Breakpoint ignore counts (break only after certain number of hits) Display local function symbols and arguments User-defined watches (support for watching user-defined types through scripting) Call stack Disassembly Custom memory dump Switch between threads View CPU registers Interface: Syntax highlighting, customizable and extensible Code folding for C, C++, Fortran, XML and many more files. Tabbed interface Code completion Class Browser Smart indent One-key swap between .h and .c/.cpp files Open files list for quick switching between files (optional) External customizable “Tools” To-do list management with different users Key Links Code::Blocks Homepage Code::Blocks 25.03 Release Notes You can learn more about the Code::Blocks C/C++ IDE and about the 25.03 release in the video below. If you are looking for another C/C++ IDE, JetBrains recently made a free version of their CLion IDE available.