Ram Rao spewed into the ether: Most Linux developers I have encountered, use all their software for free.

As a computer professional, I install the RedHat 7.2 or 7.3 Linux operating system and utilities onto a customer's computer(s) free of charge anyway.

May I charge for software that I develop using C++ or Python and Qt/X11 Free Edition?

You are free to charge anything you want for the software. All that the GPL requires is that you provide the source along with the binaries. If you link to the GPLed QT edition, then you are required to distribute the source.

May I make customers pay fair price for transfer/license of the computer professional's intellectual property, personal labor and operational costs incurred (salaries, rents, electricity, air- conditioning, etc.) not to mention profits/margins.

Of course, you are charging for your labour, and can put any value you want on it.

Does developing software using a Free or Open Source software development environment, prevent/preclude me from legally selling (charging for), application programs and reusable components developed by me, without giving away the source code?

No, only using GPLed code in your application requires that you provide the source. If you do not use any GPLed code, then you are not required to release the source.

What is our position with: copyleft, Free/Open Source, etc.?

http://www.google.com/search?q=copyleft

Free Software is defined on http://www.gnu.org Open source software is software for which source is available under a restrictive license, like Java, or Solaris source.

Devdas Bhagat -- Unix, MSDOS and Windows,: The good, the bad and the Ugly.

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