
Telegram for Android is no longer open source - lucb1e
https://lucb1e.com/?p=post&id=129
======
Findus23
While I don't know what this article says (it doesn't load for me), I agree
with the title.

The github repository isn't updated any more since Oct 11, 2016. [1]

Serious question: Is it possible to just stop publishing the source of a GPL2
licensed software?

[1]
[https://github.com/DrKLO/Telegram/commits/master](https://github.com/DrKLO/Telegram/commits/master)

~~~
throwaway2048
if you own the copyright to a peice of code, you are free to relicense it
however you want, at any time.

Existing code in the wild will keep the license it was distributed with, but
nothing obliges you to keep updating it.

~~~
lucb1e
1) GPL does make statements about the output of it (i.e. binary builds, which
is distributed over the Google Play Store). The app itself does not mention
it's GPL, but Telegram.org does.

2) The old code was GPL, so the new one (unless they rewrote it) is a derived
work.

I'm not sure the second one applies if it's the original author who relicenses
it, but I'm reasonably sure it's at least a legal grey area, and the first one
would still be a thing.

~~~
throwaway2048
It is not a legal gray area, this is the basis of a lot of products with open
source versions and "pro" versions with extra features that cost money.

~~~
lucb1e
Alright, what about the first?

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ominous
I recently tried to compile Telegram (for android) and couldn't get it to
work. Just wanted to make a small change (not to add the username to the
clipboard when sharing messages).

I may be an idiot, of course, but does anyone have the necessary steps? I did
obtain a new api id
[https://core.telegram.org/api/obtaining_api_id](https://core.telegram.org/api/obtaining_api_id)

The apk installs, but the app doesn't start.

edit: Found this

    
    
        I'll update source code after next release. @DrKLO on 31/01/2017
    

[https://github.com/DrKLO/Telegram/commit/64e8ec3fbd26a876b76...](https://github.com/DrKLO/Telegram/commit/64e8ec3fbd26a876b7683f83a6f59c6b67316421#commitcomment-20673338)

~~~
lucb1e
> not to add the username to the clipboard when sharing messages

That would be great, actually. Maybe we should start a fork.. but then we'd
miss the latest 6 months of features unless we feel like putting in so much
work they switch to us being official. Great fun.

~~~
ominous
Here:
[https://github.com/DrKLO/Telegram/blob/e313885ac540c31ea02c8...](https://github.com/DrKLO/Telegram/blob/e313885ac540c31ea02c85122907a5845fc576d2/TMessagesProj/src/main/java/org/telegram/ui/ChatActivity.java#L7569)

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gobengo
Maybe they got gag ordered? That would explain the behavior of not even really
acknowledging the change.

~~~
brudgers
Perhaps they removed existing GPL code from the code base and thus were no
longer bound to copy-left.

------
Siimteller
Their iOS repo was finally updated couple of weeks ago after last update from
August, 2016.

