Proxmox VE license

[MWJ]

Hi all,

I'm evaluating Proxmox VE for my business use.
This page shows us Proxmox VE is published under the free software license GNU AGPL.

www . proxmox . com / en / proxmox-ve / pricing

But I got a dialog which looks like the following after installation.

Title: No valid subscription
Message: You do not have a valid subscription or this server. Please visit www . proxmox . com to get a list of available options.

So I'm confused, why does PVE shows this dialog even it's free software?
By quick googling, many people disable this dialog by modifying some scripts, but I don't want to do it cos I want to be a legitimate user.

Finally my question is as follows.

Q1: Why is this dialog shown even it's free software?
Q2: Should I pay the subscription if I want to use PVE for my business?

Thanks in advance,

MWJ

 

[dietmar]

Q1: Why is this dialog shown even it's free software?

That dialog talks about a 'support' subscription. This is unrelated to licensing.

Q2: Should I pay the subscription if I want to use PVE for my business?

That is up to you. You need it if you want to use our commercial support offerings.

 

[MWJ]

Thanks for your reply.

But the dialog shows up every time when I log in and no way to disable it officially, right?
So if I don't want the subscription, is it ok to modify the script to disable the dialog even if I use it for my business?

MWJ

 

[dietmar]

So if I don't want the subscription, is it ok to modify the script to disable the dialog even if I use it for my business?

Yes. The Software is AGPL, so you are allowed to modify the code.

 

[MWJ]

Thanks a lot.

If I can suggest you, I think this is not good idea.
I understand the subscription is necessary for your business, but there must be another good way to let users move to the subscription.
Please add the way to disable the dialog without the subscription officially.
At least my boss thought this is not free software and made me stop using it.
Proxmox is great so I think much more users want to use it if the dialog goes away.

Anyway thank for your great help.

MWJ

 

[t.lamprecht]

At least my boss thought this is not free software and made me stop using it.

To quote the Free Software Foundation:^[1]

The word "free" in our name does not refer to price; it refers to freedom. First, the freedom to copy a program and redistribute it to your neighbors, so that they can use it as well as you. Second, the freedom to change a program, so that you can control it instead of it controlling you; for this, the source code must be made available to you.

That's an important thing to understand. Our AGPL license guarantees you that freedom.
How to access and work with our source code is shortly described here: http://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Developer_Documentation

 

[dietmar]

Please add the way to disable the dialog without the subscription officially.

No, we will not remove that dialog.